Search - Krohm :: Haunting Presence

Just when I thought black metal was dying...

P. Walczak | 11/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With a uniquely recognizable and depressive atmosphere to their music, USBM acts, such as Xasthur and Leviathan, have really been able to make a solid standing in the black metal community over the last few years. And Krohm is no exception. Hitting the scene in 1995, Krohm has made a number of demos and a few top-notch, full-length albums. Now, in 2007, we are hit with his newest masterpiece "The Haunting Presence", an album where the title pretty much sums up the album. With "The Haunting Presence" you get exactly that- an atmospherically emotional and haunting release that is sure to linger in the depths of your mind for days to come.



Surely, this release is one of the best things to hit the black metal scene within the last year. It is not too far off from the sounds of Leviathan and a few other USBM acts, yet it still maintains a noticeable originality that allows the listener to differentiate its sound from other such other acts. Aside from it's innovation, though, it has some of the best instrumentals and most fitting vocals I've come across in a long time. Its combination of raw screeches, layered guitars, continuously fast drumming, and even some eerily spoken voice interludes, creates a completely unearthly and emotionally beautiful work of art. It seems that Krohm is able to, only alike to a few other artists out there, take something that is tragically woeful and turn it into something that is utterly breathtaking. Not only that, but he's created something here that will most undeniably take your mind into an dismal state of otherworldliness.



Overall, this is truly an amazing CD. It is, emotionally, on an inexplicable level and has some great instrumental playing involved. Numinas (Numinas is Krohm) really has created a masterpiece here. This CD is one of the few that will challenge all other USBM acts and foreign BM acts alike. Definitely recommended for any fan of black metal or simply anyone with an open mind.

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