Poland's KINGDOM recently unleashed their fifth full-length, "Rotting Carcass upon the Burial Mound" to the masses. Taking major influence from IMMOLATION and HATE ETERNAL, this album is just what you might expect: very dark, brooding Death Metal that is heavy and entertaining enough to maintain interest. The most respectable thing about this album is its structure. Each song is good in its own way, and they are all distributed so that the album has a flow to it. The songs twist and wind through 10 tracks, all of which have the same feeling but there are not more than two tracks that share the same method in achieving that feeling.

"Rotting Carcass Arisen" is most notable for its organ intro. The odd time signature is accentuated by a bell and later by the bass guitar that riffs and grooves its way through the intro. The main body of the song is full of riffs that are flavorful and sinister. "Dark Light Rising" is also notable for its heavy yet evil main riff, reminiscent of IMMOLATION's 1999 album, "Failures for Gods". "Otchłań Zapomnienia" has a similar touch. There are even moments on "Burial Mound" and "Devourer of Light" that are very similar to HATE ETERNAL in the sense that they are fast and chaotic like it's a waste of time to slow down. The riffs are relentless, and the tone is sheer spite as the raw production cuts like a saw.

Outside of dark Death Metal, the band also possesses a blackened tone as well. This is made obvious by the SAMAEL cover that tops off the album (the cover is very nice and snappy, a well-done nod to the classic Black Metal act). There are plenty of times throughout the music where blackened frequencies creep through the cracks of the Death Metal foundation of the album. The dissonance of "Świątynia Zepsucia" reeks of Black Metal filth while flirting with the sound of INCANTATION.

For an album that took a little over a year to release, KINGDOM have created a swelling mass of blasphemous Death Metal. The production is very poor, but that actually adds to the feeling of the album. If you are a fan of dark music, this is definitely worth checking out.