Thinking back to 2009, when Krakow first emerged from Bergen, Norway (despite being named after a Polish city), their debut ‘Monolith’ didn’t really tread any new ground, but was a promising slab of weighty stoner/doom metal that spoke of huge potential for the four piece. Then along came 2012’s sophomore album ‘Diin’ and it finally seemed like Krakow were taking off; a pungent blend of all the desirable qualities of Cult of Luna, C R O W N and Secrets of the Moon. It was like a smash on the head from a stone golem and it was absolutely wonderful. So you’d be forgiven entirely for looking forward to third release ‘amaran’ and then feeling like you’re having your still-beating heart torn from your chest upon first listen.
Rather than build upon the sound they created on their previous record, Krakow have somehow managed to regress into a state of restrained boredom. While the album occasionally shows flashes of the old sound, with brief moments of harsh vocals or the odd abrasive riff, it’s mostly a dirge of placid atmospherics and half-hearted attempts to play proggy sounding doom.
This soulless beige-o-rama drones on for the better part of 45 minutes, with opening track ‘Luminauts’ featuring the lyrics “I am a curse, benign” – yes, benign if they mean in the sense of self-limiting, as it seems Krakow have reigned in any sense of creative freedom, happy to plod at a glacial pace.
The name ‘amaran’ is also puzzling – a quick Google search yields three results: an Indian film, a vulpine creature from Star Wars and a power metal band. None of these seem fitting, so it would appear the album title is as random as the band’s decision to suddenly make their sound shy and retiring.
A complete lack of energy is more than apparent throughout all seven tracks, and it becomes difficult not to fall into a stupor while listening. If ‘amaran’ evokes any emotion at all, it’s a deep sense of sadness at having listened to what might have been, then hearing what it turned into. A real waste.
(3/10 Angela Davey)
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