KARU were formed in 2020 and they are from Tampere, Finland. The symphonic Death Metal band released one EP and one full-length album so far. Their sophomore album "Perdition" was mixed and mastered by vocalist and bassist Niko Hienonen and it was produced by the band. The album has a length of more than 45 minutes, and it was released via Italian Heavy, Power, and symphonic Metal specialists Rockshot Records. The second album of KARU is a bit unusual in terms of song compositions and structures compared to the first album and their EP. "Perdition" contains seven songs and three of them are instrumental pre-ludes or inter-ludes. That leaves four songs with an average length of about 10 minutes. The album starts with one of the two-minutes instrumentals. "Shores Of Mist And Blood" is atmospheric, tension-building, and epic at the same time. It transitions into "Shadow War". It is a track that is frantic at times with tight guitar riffing and plenty of double-bass drumming. The vocals are growls, varying between the medium to higher end of the guttural range with some tonal shifts. There are prominent orchestral arrangements throughout the track, and they intensify a dark melodic framework. There are many twists and turns in tempo and rhythm, where the parts at measured tempo are melancholic at times. "Shadow War" has also operatic elements during the middle part of the track. The most crushing parts are the verses and choruses as they are played blisteringly fast with predominantly the brass in the background. There are also a few lead guitar solos during the 10 minutes, and they are all contributing to the track. Altogether, "Shadow War" is a good piece of symphonic Death Metal.  

"Alone In The Forest" has an atmospheric start with the string, transitioning into thunderous guitar riffs at a measured tempo and a sluggish rhythm. The orchestral arrangements are very prominent with mainly the strings and the brass being the contributors.  The first third of the track is an instrumental part, introducing the main riffs and melodies. The second part is introduced by the acoustic guitars, the strings, and the clean vocals. It is the ballad-esque part of the track in terms of tempo and melodies, even though powerful guitar riffs and the growls take over as time goes by. The middle part of the track becomes more and more crushing with devastating riffs, screams, and blast-beat thunderstorms conclude the second part. The finale goes into ballad-esque mode again with the acoustic guitars having the final say. "Alone In The Forest" is a great composition and it is the official lyric video, with the YouTube link being provided below. There is a seamless transition to "Embers In The Sky", which is a two-minutes inter-lude driven by the strings. "Trail Of Fire" has a frantic start at insane pace, driven by the blast-beats. The guitar riffing is punishing and the melodies are chilling. While most of the track is a brutal hammering, there is still room for a strong melodic component, which is supported by orchestral arrangements. The break is driven by the orchestra and especially the brass in combination with spoken words, before the pummeling continues with the next blast-beat thunderstorm and brutal growls. The track ends with the strings and silence.

"Path Of The Unforgiven" is the third instrumental track of the album and it is distinctly different from the others as it is driven by powerful guitar riffs at measured tempo, accompanied by the strings, where the melodies are grim and melancholic. It transitions into the title track, which is with almost 13 minutes the longest song of the album. It has, once again, a hammering start with blast-beat attacks, devastating guitar riffs, all intensified by the dark orchestral arrangements. The melodic framework is bone-chilling. After the first three minutes, there is an abrupt break, driven by the acoustic guitars at a slow tempo and clean vocals. The guitars are supported by violins and flutes, and the track certainly has some traditional Folk vibes at this point. As time goes by, the strings become more and more prominent and eventually, the break transitions into an extended lead guitar solo, powerful guitar riffs, and eventually the clean vocals. The track is here full in ballad mode. After the clean vocal part, another lead guitar solo takes over proceedings until it all circles back to the acoustic guitars and the strings, where the latter ones become finally the sole contributor alongside bells and the track takes two minutes to slowly fade out.

KARU offer an interesting symphonic Death Metal release. "Perdition" is a masterclass in terms of compositions and songwriting. The album is a dark, melancholic, but also crushing delivery. The orchestral arrangements are well balanced and provide an extra dimension to the album. The hammering, never-ending blast-beat attacks are one of the main features of the album. The album sound is kept well together by versatile vocals in both, growls and clean vocals. The album is well produced. "Perdition" is not mainstream, it is not even Death Metal mainstream. Symphonic Death Metal fans, who love complex compositions will love the album.