Artist: Korgonthurus
Country: Finland
Label: Woodcut Records
Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD
Year: 2023
Despite a history marred by periods of inactivity and break ups, Korgonthurus managed to create one of the most enthralling records in Finnish Black Metal with 2009’s ‘Marras’. Yet more relative silence followed and after the band released their second full-length in 2017 they once again folded. It seemed like a final goodbye, instead rather the opposite turned out to be true. Reforming in the same year and fleshing out into a four piece, the band seemed invigorated with entering one of their most stable and productive periods to date. Thus, only three years after their third full-length ‘Kuolleastasyntynyt’ was unleashed, the end of 2023 saw the release of the latest chapter in the band’s history and the second with the line-up of Corvus, Kryth, Incisura and Insanis Xul in the shape of ‘Jumalhaaska’.
Stylistically ‘Marras’ stood out from the other full-lengths in the band’s discography for its slow, minimal and frigid atmospheric approach in the vein of Burzum. On the subsequent albums the band had adopted a much more aggressive and dynamic formula with meandering melodies, groove and diversity, along with more concise tracks. While the second full-length ‘Vuohen Siunau’ felt like they were testing the waters, in particular 2020’s ‘Kuolleestasyntynyt’ struck a beautiful balance between entrancing hypnotising riffs and shifting tempos combined with Corvus’ phenomenal vocal delivery. And with ‘Jumalhaaska’ we can gladly conclude the band has continued to perfect that formula, which ultimately sounds like a perfect unison between ‘Marras’ and ‘Kuolleestasyntynyt’.
The latest album contains just four tracks that range somewhere between 12 and 16 minutes. With that, it approaches the length of the two tracks of ‘Marras’, but in terms of songwriting Korgonthurus have retained the more dynamic tempo of the later full-lengths. And where many of their contemparies fail, they manage to write an album that lasts nearly an hour that actually manages to captivate for its entire duration. Still focusing on fusing melancholic subcutaneous melodies with blasting and grooving rhythms, Korgonthurus were never the band to blatantly copy Horna, Sargeist or Satanic Warmaster. Instead they keep melodic progressions a little bit more subtle and bareboned. Atmosphere plays a key part in their sound, but without any need for keyboards to portray that icy core. As a grand example for their formula we can take ‘Musta Obsidiaani’, in which simple clean strumming enhances the atmosphere and quickly shifting drum patterns propel the song forward. It’s also here that Corvus displays his phenomenally devoted vocals, pouring his heart and soul into his growls and shrieks. In these songs we can hear back the more depressive nature of ‘Marras’ as well as the more aggressive features of ‘Kuolleestasyntynyt’ combined to perfection. And while most guitar melodies remain rather submissive, the deliberately accented tremolo picking melody towards the end hits home all the harder. Not to mention the razor-sharp violent outburst that then steers the song into its final apotheosis. Perhaps a noteworthy addition can be found in the track ‘Autuas Kärsimys’ in which violins add a further depth of sadness to the melancholic framework and where grandiose entrancing melodies weave together a hypnotizing tune. It’s simply glorious, chilling and above all, beautifully captivating.
If ‘Kuolleastasyntynyt’ was the album that showed Korgonthurus were back with a vengeance, ‘Jumalhaaska’ shows the band can no longer be denied as one of the greats in the Finnish Black Metal scene. With a chilling atmosphere, deep sense of melancholy, heaps of diversity and passion and fury, along with one of the best vocalists in the genre, Korgonthurus deliver another majestic album that proves to be the culmination of all their splendid work so far. Finnish Black Metal at its finest!
