Housed in a standard jewel case with clear tray, including a 12-page booklet.
From cold and shadows...
Gothic/Doom Metal From Romania
Set for release by the end of the year, ‘The Kingdoom’ is the debut 8 track album, from Romanian gothic doom metal band, Endless Dark.
The quintet was established in 2022 and their sound is very much aligned with their name. Featuring aspects of death and black metal, within the gothic melodies, ‘TK’ is based on the concept of the darkest elements of death and the atmosphere of the afterlife, envisioned by a character who’s named ‘TK’ after himself.
‘TK’ will be released via Loud Rage Music.
The debut video for ‘TK’ can be found on YouTube.
Rusted Nails – Banging intro! Shadows supplied by the piano tones. Growled vocals. Electrifying sounds. Shrill synths and symphonics make an interesting light counteraction to the darkness. Bass sliding in, underneath. Crashing over you, in waves of blackness, till the end.
Alone In Paradise – Deep, reverential choral vocals open. Back into lightning extremes of pitter-patter piano and blackened growls. Riff melodies balance it out. Modern forms, gothically styled. Towering scales enhance the formula. Fading, smoothly.
The Journey – Sharp riff intro! Soaring plane lift-off echoes and percussive rhythms accompany. Trollish vocals enter. Really polished riff sheen. Clean, clear production quality. The ogre roars through the scene. Emulating fantasy horror realms. Very silky, velveteen riffage blends with the sharp piano acuity. Raindrop piano tones close.
Drowning – Instant hit of darkness and light. Very intense and riff-centred. Piano continuity lending it an acute edge. The growls become coarser and blacker. Here, the horror themes are very visual and palpable. Intensely vampiric. The light breaks through, a little, around the bridge and in some of the following segments. It’s largely dark, though; suffocating the atmosphere.
The Kingdoom – A flash of light opens. Same sound to before. Elegantly executed, but the endless darkness does get a bit stifling. In that sense, the sound certainly embodies the band name. Lots of coarse vocal extremity. The delivery’s flawless, as is the audio quality. It’s just so mercilessly dark.
Endless Dark – Explosive intro, once more. Lots of riff streaks. Extra vocal extremity adds to the already blackened lyrics. Very vocally centred. Here, the riff solo brings a brief break from the ubiquitous cloak of darkness, but it’s still the pervading emotion.
Oblivion – A sudden slight lightening intro’s, via softer riffage and light percussion, but it’s still very bleak. The sheer artistry and instrumental command’s undeniable, however. Same applies to the consistently perfect production values. Lots of high quality riffage, taking centre stage, in this pure instrumental. Plenty of satin texture, to the end.
Dirt – Neat follow-up intro. Same sounds, again and at this point, it must be said that there’s not much diversity between these tracks. Now, the ogre returns, roaring its way through the evocative landscape. A bit more physicality to the beats. Slight enigmatic touches, here and there. Fading out on a final riff.
Overall – ‘TK’ is probably best summarised by replacing it with the band’s title. Whilst its consistently impressive performance and production is without doubt; as is its obvious high standard of technical proficiency, the pervading sense of claustrophobic darkness and depression spoils those effects. There’s very little track deviation, making it impossible to tell one from the other and blurring the memorability factor. Unarguably great musicianship, but ultimately, gloom-entrenched.
Official promo video:
Endless Dark - The Kingdoom (Official Video)
Sample:
Rusted Nails
