KHIRKI - Κτηνωδία (Album Review)

Release Date: May 20th 2021. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD/Vinyl

Κτηνωδία - Tracklisting

1.Deadpan

2.Black and Chrome 

3.Raging Bull

4.Medea

5.Bukovo 

6.The Barkhan Dunes

7.Wolf's Lament 

8.Stara Planina

Members

Dimos Ioannou – Guitars and Vocals

Orestes Katsaros – Bass Guitar

Spiros Stefanis – Drums, Percussion and Backing Vocals

Christos Konstantinidis – Violin on “Medea” & “Wolf’s Lament”

Review

KHIRKI are a Sludge/Stoner Metal Band that brings a lot of manic Folk Metal energy to their debut album Κτηνωδία (pronounced "Ktinodia"). The PR sheet that came along with this album advised the band will appeal to fans of High On Fire, Mastodon, Kvelertak and TOOL. Whilst not sounding exactly like them, KHIRKI do have sparks and outbursts of energy from those great bands. The album is quite varied and interesting with it’s different approach and that’s down to the Anatolian and Balkan folk music KHIRKI have brought to this album.

The song is quite funky, progressive and upbeat in all the right places and you feel that from the excellent two opening songs - Deadpan and Black And Chrome - which allow KHIRKI the opportunity to fully get in their creative groove early on the record. There is a similar “Kvelertak” feel on these two songs with how the music moves into different directions and genres.

The rest of the album does offer a more “Progressive” and “Heavier” flavour with a sense of modern “Radio-Friendlier” elements that Mastodon have used recently for their last few albums. The Folk Rock outbursts can be quite topical in places on songs such as: Medea, Bukovo and The Barkhan Dunes. 

The vocals from Dimos are clean-based and constantly engaging. He does bring a heavier and more aggressive presence on the record when the time calls for it which is helped along surprisingly well by upbeat and almost “Funk” based grooves but still remaining in the Sludge/Stoner Metal field. 

The production is handled superbly well and allows  everything to move along at a cracking pace with a warm sounding atmosphere and environment for KHIRKI to make themselves known with.

If you’re on the lookout for a different style of Sludge/Stoner Metal and missing those “Kvelertak/Mastodon” Progressive ideas and themes then KHIRKI will keep you entertained with their spellbinding debut album.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Mona at All Noir PR for the promo. 

Κτηνωδία will be available to buy on DD/Vinyl from May 21st 2021

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

WINTERFYLLETH Announce New Album And Tour Details

Two years after their critically acclaimed acoustic/folk album, The Hallowing of Heirdom, British Black Metal pioneers WINTERFYLLETH are poised to return on May 8th 2020 with the release of their visceral new album, The Reckoning Dawn via Candlelight Records/Spinefarm Records.

Preorders are now available: https://winterfylleth.lnk.to/TheReckoningDawn

Ahead of the release the band have released title single 'The Reckoning Dawn' which can be heard here: https://winterfylleth.lnk.to/TheReckoningDawn

The first full length metal album since 2014’s The Divination of Antiquity, The Reckoning Dawn finds the band returning at the absolute top of their game, across an expansive journey of an album. Eight brand new songs of blistering, atmospheric and emotive black metal adorn the records near 60 minute running length and serves to highlight the strength and depth of material in the WINTERFYLLETH canon, resulting in one of the darkest and most powerful records of 2020.

Guitarist/vocalist Chris Naughton commented: "Having spent the last 2 years in a very different creative space, touring our acoustic album, and bringing those shows to evocative, atmospheric and unique venues all over the UK and Europe, we are now pleased to announce our return to the realms of Black Metal with our new album, The Reckoning Dawn. The culmination of almost two years of writing and collective hard work, what we are presenting here is a visceral & emotive new Winterfylleth album that we are all truly proud to put forth into the world.

"We've taken the time over the last few years to craft and grow our sound into different musical areas, really wanting to contrast that on this album; taking what we had learned from those other experiences and distilling that into what we have created here. To me it feels like a mighty, passionate and essential album of songs that push the boundaries of what a Winterfylleth metal album can be, but that also harkens back to our more traditional Black Metal sound in a more immediate way. Today we share the title track with you, but in the coming weeks and months look forward to sharing more with you, on record and on tour with our friends in Mork. We hope to see you on the road."

Recorded and produced once again by the legendary Chris Fielding (Primordial, Napalm Death, Conan, Electric Wizard, Fen) at Foel Studios in Wales, The Reckoning Dawn shows the band at their strongest, and serves as a reminder to all that WINTERFYLLETH are as relevant now as they have ever been.The band recently announced their headline tour, 'The Reckoning of Europe' which will take place in May with support from Mork.

WINTERFYLLETH will also be appearing at numerous 2020 festivals including Bloodstock, Brutal Assault, Ragnarök Festival and more.

The Reckoning Dawn will be released via Candlelight Records/Spinefarm Records on May 8th. Preorder now: https://winterfylleth.lnk.to/TheReckoningDawn

Catch the band live:

April
18th - Ragnarök Festival, Stadthalle Lichtenfels, DE
19th – Café De Meister, Geleen, NL
24th – Dudefest “The Black Edition”, Karlsruhe DE

May
'The Reckoning Of Europe' with Special Guests Mork
14th - Club Volta, Cologne, DE
15th - Vienna Metal Meeting Pre-party, AU
16th - Into The Abyss Fest, Wrocław, PL
17th - Durer Kert, Budapest, HU
18th - Backstage, Münich, DE
19th – Schlachthof, Wiesbaden, DE
20th - Backstage, Paris, FR
21st – DBs, Utrecht, NL
22nd - Boston Music Room, London, UK
23rd - Rebellion, Manchester, UK

July
4th - Legions ov Darkness Fest, Cumbria, UK

August
6th - Brutal Assault, CZ
8th - Bloodstock Open Air, UK

December
11th – De Mortem Et Diabolum, Berlin, DE

WINTERFYLLETH online:

Facebook | Bandcamp | Candlelight




1. Misdeeds Of Faith

2. A Hostile Fate (The Wayfarer Pt. 4)

3. Absolved In Fire

4. The Reckoning Dawn

5. A Greatness Undone

6. Betwixt Two Crowns

7. Yielding The March Law

8. In Darkness Begotten

BONUS CD (Digipack Only)

9. Upon Gallows Frail

10. Woden (cover of the Enslaved song 'Wotan')

11. In Darkness Beholden