It’s not hard to figure out that some of my favorite music comes from the realm of black and doom metal separately. Yet, I’ve never been ignorant of the fusing of the two together even though it’s something that I never really frequent anymore. No real reason for it other than coincidence. I set out to change that tonight and that search led me to the first full-length effort of Kuliu and their talent couldn’t be any more delicious.
Okay, I might’ve stretched the truth a little bit by calling Kuliu a blackened doom band. When you listen to “Monumentti” the foreground of black metal is all but indistinguishable, but there’s a background of doom that really enhances the overall excellence behind these four tracks. Throw in a heavy degree of melancholic elements alongside stretched out over ten minutes for all but one piece, and you’ve got an incredibly volatile concoction that’s very hard to balance. Yet, Kuliu powers through with “Monumentti”, tremendously so. The entire album is a ridiculous display of power while seeing Kuliu bring out a very emotionally centered side of black metal that we see quite off in certain styles, and I had my doubts of the sound coming together well at first. Luckily, “Monumentti” is a front to back defiance of my initial thoughts with its immense quality and fantastic musicianship that permeates the entirety of this record without fail even once. Each bit of atmosphere hits home, every smash of intensity is a delicious piece that is spine-chilling at every time, and the fusion of the two come together seamlessly with each completely each other perfectly at the most opportune moments.
I’ve been lucky enough to have a good track record with debut albums given how many that I hear are quite interesting, and that trend only continues with “Monumentti” showing true potential. Kuilu is easily the newest band on the scene we should keep an eye on, and I simply can’t wait to see what else this Finnish quartet can create next.
LISTEN to “Monumentti” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Kuliu on Facebook here.
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