Kongh - Shadows of The Shapeless

Kongh released one of the best debut albums a couple of years back called "Counting Heartbeats" and they are back expanding their sound even further this time.This album is a sprawling bombastic effort that manages to combine different styles and feelings into a pretty cohesive package but with a couple of missteps along the way.With a emphasis on atmosphere and dynamics,the album while still very much in the Doom vein this time around it has a even more "Neurosis/Cult Of Luna approach to some of the material.The album kicks off in behemoth style with "Unholy Water" that after the intro section launches into a real noise assault,the hardcore tinged vocals of David Johansson really adds to the power of the band.'Essence Asunder' continues in a similar vein that mixes some slabs of aggression with more slower instrumental passages.The downside for me anyway is this track seems to be overlong and a little messy when they try to make a weird kind of Blues meets Doom hybrid which doesn't seem to work for the most part.This is a minor criticism however because they make up for it on the rest of the album.The more ambient 'Voice Of The Below' is a great piece of music with some great guitar accents that make for a real interesting track.The final and title track of the album is a real highlight as it builds into waves of sound with a hypnotic quality.As you might have noticed,songs are pretty long but they manage to keep it interesting.They also manage to avoid oblivious cliches that show up on many other Doom releases and make a sound of their own.That is always a achievement in the world of Doom Metal where the sounds expecting from a Doom Band can be sometimes limited.This is a album that can take your mind on a journey especially after indulging in the green stuff,its a nicely balanced album that despite one or two questionable moments is a real solid effort. 8/10 www.myspace.com/kongh