ninehertz

Whilst I know the quality of Kulk, I often forget quite how heavy they are, which, while doing them a disservice, gives me a nice surprise reminder upon every new release.

Choosing to Die is their latest, out on Church Road Records, and as good as they’ve ever been. There’s a thrill from the get-go hearing their agitated, awkward, noisy fare – the not uncommon doom inflected by noise-rock duo approach but crafted in greater ways than the majority of others that it might draw comparison to.

It is heavy throughout, a satisfying depth and weight, with a griminess that borders on industrial at points. The doom elements create a hell of a racket, vocals arrive in chaotic outbursts, whilst their noise-rock core brings an anger filled menace looming over every moment.

The penultimate track Ache is, at more than 5 minutes in length, the longest by some distance, using it to take their time, draw out, setting out the infrastructure for a siege. They are here for the (relative) long haul and to wait you out. It is effective too – it feels threatening; even the violin doesn’t dissipate the feeling of unease, instead enhancing its epic nature.

It is an excellent album, bursting with energy and ideas, a record that is alive and as such full of brightness at odds with the overcast nature of its sound.