Kapnas

Kapnas

From Bandcamp, "Just let the smoke drift over your head and into your lungs. There […]
Kapnas - Kapnas album cover

From Bandcamp, "Just let the smoke drift over your head and into your lungs. There is nothing out there for you. Life is a never ending spiral of turmoil. Let go and give in, the rest of the world is out there and you only have yourself." The album has eight songs, and the title track is first. It has a smooth and staccato electronic sound to it. The vocals are whispered, like a snake hissing, and the music turns dissonant. The sound is pretty unique, akin to IHSAHN but without the Progressive leanings. "Dismal Nostalgia" has a slower pace, but that electronic sound continues. The riff is so sludgy, it almost dissipates and becomes swallowed by the music, and the harsh vocals are gravely edged.

"Signs of Life" has another muddy and swampy sound, and the music is deeply dissonant. The lyrics are morbid as well: "smoke in my lungs, am I better off dead." "Under the Pale Moon" has another simple riff but it is frightening in scope. That is one thing that the band does quite well on the album. "As Sudden as the End" is another slow and lumbering grind of evil, whispered vocals that create a harrowing sound. The music is again dissonant, and almost there to support the vocals, which are one of the main part of the band's sound.

"Odd Times Ahead" is another spooky song where the title reflects the music very well. I feel as if I am being led down and old tunnel deep beneath the earth, wondering what I will find at the end. Odd times, indeed. "The truth that we find in the smoke" he muses. "Slo Dth 22" is a 16-minute opus. Expect some meandering, and expect some exploration. The beginning is so slow it makes Doom music seem fast. The vocals are disconnected with the music as well. They almost seem like two separate entities occupying the same physical world, and the vocalist seems to exist between the world of the living, and the world of the dead.

"Budrum" closes the album. It's just a bit faster than some of the other songs, and the sound is better connected. Overall, I appreciate anything that is outside of the box when it comes to a Metal sub-genre, and this album was for sure. While listening, I felt like I was drifting off to sleep, or to some alternate universe of consciousness, and that is the feeling that I appreciate the most.

7 / 10

Good

Songwriting

8

Musicianship

7

Memorability

7

Production

7
"Kapnas" Track-listing:

1. Kapnas
2. Dismal Nostalgia
3. Signs of Life
4. Under the Pale Moon
5. As Sudden as the End
6. Odd Times Ahead
7. Slo Dth 22
8. Budrum

Kapnas Lineup:

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