‘Wisdom Kings’ Heruka are back with a new album following a burst of activity that has seen them release 2 other studio full length’s an EP and a live album since 2018. I have stumbled around their somewhat philosophical work in the past and stated that they are not the easiest of ‘projects’ to classify but they have certainly kept me on their toes and the latest ‘Memorie’ is no exception to that rule.
Culture and art are the clues taken from the cover, Salvator Rosa’s painting ‘Human Frailty’ of 1656 and the inside cover depicts a figure (I am guessing band member Adranor) quaffing from a glass of vino rosso in front of a candelabra. Lyrics are in Italian here and that’s where my attempts to decipher go out the window and it is the music I turn to. We start with a short ‘Hymn’ by way of introduction, an organ toccata and whispered vocals. These turn to thick and gruff rasps as we move into ‘Presagi’ and the music roughly tumbles around it. It’s certainly of a blackened orientation and hardly stands still for a second. There are clean and austere vocal parts, rolling drums and plenty of melody from the guitarwork. Bass is pronounced and can be heard giving a heavyset twang in the background. I have to say Italian artists seem to pay a lot of attention using the bass as a proper instrument rather than just allowing it to add definition to the overall sound. This is very much the case here, which is certainly appreciated.
Bloodthirsty vocals and drive dominate the thrashy blackened hues of Ad Un Passo and there is an underlying technical fervour to the obliterating deluge fired out from all quarters. Heruka strike as the sort of band that other musicians will appreciate, they are pretty damn accomplished themselves and the casual observer may find they go straight over their head; as perhaps they have done with me in the past. But maybe its best not to try and work out the how’s and wherefores (along with the language) and just enjoy the rampaging and venomous tones of the title track. Although this has taken a fair-few listens, tracks are all honed down with the 10 on display here running into each other and steamrollering the listener in a more than acceptable 37 minutes. Still, there’s plenty to take in and lot’s going on.
Particularly good is the melodious, meandering guitar-work of ‘Indarno’ which is a glimmer of light in the dark and neck-cracking mainframe of the song. There’s certainly nothing In Vain about it as the title suggests. It sounds like there’s a pitched battle going on and ‘Vegetale,’(human vegetative state, after a serious accident or a serious illness. All songs lyrics are about single life experiences near death) has plenty of bravado about it as well as the scent of victory about its battle metal cleave. There’s pretty much no let up from the red-mist of imagined warfare till the last and longest number Passacaglia where those classicist roots really come to the fore. Apparently, it is based work by Baroque Italian composer Stefano Landi and comes complete with guests on acoustic guitar and flute. I doubt the originator ever would have suspected his music turning quite so brutal as Heruka determinedly swagger to the end leaving me feeling windswept and dragged through a hedge backwoods. Although I feel I could and should have penetrated the deeper meanings of this work it certainly proved both brutal and enjoyable.
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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