Album review: Kurokuma – Born Of Obsidian

Kurokuma have been kicking up a mighty racket since 2013, with a series of EPs and splits finally giving way to this debut full-length. It’s tempting to view its long gestation as a result of the band’s extracurricular activities (launching their own cannabis strain) and tendency to act the giddy goat (covering Jamiroquai on a tape released by a happy hardcore label). However, the potent highs reached on Born Of Obsidian suggest that the time spent cultivating their mammoth sound has been exceedingly well spent.

On the surface, Kurokuma’s songwriting is built on a principle of hammering simple-but-effective riffs into the ground, providing a decent hit for fans of both primitive aggro-doom and mantric repetition. Beyond that, though, Born Of Obsidian is crucially imbued with unusual percussion and quirky detail. Most of these five tracks open with playful beats closer to Latin vibes than standard sludge battery, while the initial rhythm of Ololiuqui sounds like someone shaking a bag of gravel. And if the ensuing pile-driving riff is what sticks in the brain, this track also boasts a shimmering guitar part, a crusty hardcore section and a whacked-out closing solo. Speaking of which, closer Under The Fifth Sun spends half its duration on suitably cosmic space rock, before descending to earthy doom.

This surprisingly varied tone lends itself to the album’s themes: the Sheffield herberts prove unlikely archaeologists by delving into the ancient history and cultures of Central America on tracks like Jaguar and the tumultuous Sacrifice To Huitzilopochtli. Who knows what the Aztecs would have made of it, but Kurokuma’s sludge is of a suitably mind-altering strain to open a ritualistic channel through space and time on this compelling curio.

Verdict: 4/5

For Fans Of: Slabdragger, Conan, Ufomammut

Born Of Obsidian is out now