Hailing from the heart of the Enchanted Mountains, Kiukinberg presents us with their second offering Adorn My Flesh in Shadows. This is a punky and wicked sounding black metal release. Grainy and raw guitars, very forward sounding and punchy drums, and bewitching vocals that screech like a damned soul. So much energy and force behind some of these tracks it really makes it addicting to listen to.
The release starts with an eerie ambient track. A tribal drum and wicked dark whispers greet you for this twisted release, as it sets a great setting and atmosphere for the whole thing. The following two tracks are fast paced wicked black metal tracks with all of the punk influence there. The guitars and the drums just meld together so well and the transitioning from punk d-beats to black metal blast beats are done so well, you almost don’t even notice until you’re half way through moshing by your self. They’re so fun and the vocals are also do so well. The high pitched and sometimes bestial screeches brought to us by Ariale are simply superb and nail the pagan atmosphere of it all.
There was one track that kind of threw me off of the whole EP, though. That being the fourth track Fungus Hunter. Its this sort of ambient track with an electronic drum beat and twinkly synths in the background. At first it doesn’t sound that bad, in fact its rather catchy and kind cool in its laid back kind of way. But what I find strange is that it really doesn’t fit the release at all. If it were a short intro to a song, it’d make sense, or an outro or a short interlude. But this is the longest track on the release running at just over 4 minutes. Maybe if it were cut in half it wouldn’t have been as jarring, but it just stuck out. Especially when the following tracks are what you’d sort of expect from before. I’m not saying its bad, just a strange choice is all.
I do enjoy the overall ritualistic and almost dark psychedelic atmosphere to the whole release, and maybe that 4 minute interlude could be interpreted as some sorta drug induced daze in-between the dark black metal rituals. Either way this is a very enjoyable release that I had a lot of fun listening too. Very much looking forward to seeing what else will come from Kiukinberg and what sorta dark rituals are in hold for the future.