Sludge/Doom Metal trio KUROKUMA formed in the UK in 2014. They released a few Demos, Splits, and EPs, and now present their debut full-length "Born of Obsidian." From their Bandcamp page, "This aural codex represents the sum of the Sheffield-based entity's victories, struggles and experiences thus far. The album's five tracks are thematically bound, with each allegorically channeled through Mesoamerican myth and blood-soaked history. The result is a savage album, unmoored from the spirit of the age, summoning an essence at once unseeing yet all-knowing. Now dig beneath the thin crust of civilization, and bear witness to the blood of the earth." The album contains five tracks.

"Smoking Mirror" opens the album. It opens with meaty bass notes and a bit of a swinging rhythm, before a very low riff comes in and crushes the landscape. The vocals are shouts of gravely passion...somewhere between Black Metal and Death Metal. The droning tone of the guitars lets you know that you are within the realm of Sludge Metal. Towards the end, a pattern develops of four crushing notes repeated over and over until a fade-out.

"Sacrifice to Huitzilopochtli" is about half as long, beginning with another weight and rhythmic riff. The shouts in the vocals make it sound more like Thrash Metal, but the sludgy riff dismisses that tag. Towards the end, another extended instrumental passage closes in on you. "Jaguar" opens with a light drum beat and some background ambiance. Like the cat of prey of its namesake, something is out there, hiding in the shadows, waiting to pounce without notice or the breath of a sound. It attacks just long enough to draw blood, then retreats again. From there, it's almost a free jam of psychedelic offerings and grungy, half-torn beats.

"Ololiuqui" begins with the slow and steady shake of what sounds like maracas and a heavy, lumbering riff. Pain-filled screams come in from there, painting a picture of desolation. The title of the song is a Central-American flower, though I am not sure what that has to do with the music. "Under the Fifth Sun" closes the album. It opens with tense tones and some chugging bass guitar. It builds slowly from there, with layers continually added. I love the exploratory path the song takes into and through the jungle. Under dense vegetation and sweltering heat, they make a path to salvation. Follow it through to the end, but you will never know if they are successful or not...the destination is shrouded and unclear.

Of all the various vocals styles out there, shouting is my least favorite. It reminds me too much of Thrash Metal, which was good for its day, but those glory days are long gone. Still, they work pretty well in this style of music, and are not annoyingly present either. There is a fair amount of exploratory tendencies here and the songs do not all follow the typical "intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, chorus" structure of most songs. For that reason, I have to applaud the band for striking out on their own. At its core, this is dark and powerfully charged music for Metalheads seeking something off the beaten path.