Like Tool? Like sludge? Well now you like Raum Kingdom. Just accept it. This 30 minute EP from Ireland is filled to the brim with effects-laden, winding Adam Jones riffs and soft, meditative Maynard singing; but also crushing waves of crunchy distortion and angsty howls. The careful melding of both elements creates an experience that is certainly familiar, but never an imitation.
If you want catchy hooks straight from Aenima, check out the driving riff to “Wounds.” Prefer more of a slow-burner, post-metal opus? “Barren Objects” is so the track for you. The droning guitar is superbly hypnotic, but that vocal performance is simply captivating. And that holds true for the entire duration. In fact, I was humming one of the clean-sung melodies from “This Sullen Hope” for days. You'll know it well when it happens to you.
The mood is further built through a lengthy sample track, “Cross Reference” backed by a heartbeat and repetitious guitar and bass notes. The recording is from UK television series, Black Mirror, which is similar to The Twilight Zone. The gut-wrenching performance from one Daniel Kaluuya concerns the grim episode “”Fifteen Million Merits.” If you want to ruin your day, I suggest watching the episode or at least reading The Wikipedia Synopsis Suffice it to say that the bleak outlook on the future fits the music well.
This was actually one of my very first bandcamp purchases after seeing it make a 2014 list for up and comers. Name your price and it is yours as well. Highly recommended.