Artist: Kamra
Country: Slovenia
Label: Avantgarde Music
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2025
Kamra’s previous effort, ‘Cerebral Alchemy’ from 2022, was quite a stunning debut album. While all of the involved musicians have other or previous experience, none of these bands rang a bell (at least for me), the music on ‘Cerebral Alchemy’ was anything but entry-level. Their alchemical amalgam of Black- and Death Metal was something that possibly only appealed to those who are in for an adventurous ride through a musical landscape that is as bump as it is colourful. Like a much more experimental and progressive Sinmara or a more atmospheric Behemoth, or maybe they just sounds like their own. Either way, they addressed the same fans who are looking for more than just a few heavy riffs. And those who appreciated the debut will be impressed once again.
Compared to ‘Cerebral Alchemy’, this latest work is not only a step up the ladder of well-crafted, complex music, it has also become a somewhat heavier and more decisive album. The share of Death Metal seems to have increased somewhat due to the slightly thicker guitar sound, giving the whole thing a little more bite. But the splendour of “Unending Confluence” lies once again mainly in the unorthodox way of song crafting. Musically, it again lies largely between later Mayhem, Misþyrming, Behemoth and Sinmara. Surprising vocal antics go hand in hand with the continuous changes in patterns and rhythms. It should therefore be clear that this is not easy listening and certainly requires several listens before the album reveals itself in its entirety.
Calm, progressive sections alternate with exciting industrial-style ambient and downright crushing Black Metal, then culminating in an almost jazzy finale. There is clearly no blueprint for how an average Kamra song unfolds, if you can even speak of an average. One song is full of quiet, progressive sections interspersed with exciting industrial-style ambient and downright crushing Black Metal, which then come together in an almost jazzy finale. But a track like ‘Weaver’s Bane’ starts in an almost Aosoth-like manner with a rebellious and dissonant riff that evokes an oppressive atmosphere but ultimately finds its climax in a whirlwind of riffs, rhythm changes and melodies.
Once again, these Slovenians manage to impress with a true feat of Extreme Metal that they can rightly and proudly call unorthodox and avant-garde. It’s perhaps no surprise that they have found a home at Avantgarde Music.
