The Pitch: An intriguing fusion of progressive, death, and doom from Italian project Hertz Kankarok. FFO: Winterhorde, Doomed, Ihsahn
What I Like: I'm having difficulty putting this into words, but Make Madder Music is basically what you get when you let Ihsahn collaborate with Meshuggah. Somehow the djenty guitar tone and death metal influences flow seemlessly alongside the progressive song structures and symphonic elements; each of the resulting four tracks carving out a unique personality. The dark atmosphere and regional instrumentation of "Deceive Yourself!" bare a certain similarity to Alkaloid's slower moments whereas "Cargo Cult" is more of a groovy death/doom track. "Who Is Next?" brings us most firmly into Ihsahn's wheelhouse with its melodramatic singing, haunting feminine backup vocals, and approach to arrangement that feels more stage musical than metal track. Finally, 'The Great Whirlpool" seems to fuse all of these prior influences together for a conclusion that is epic in every sense of the word.
Critiques: I sense room for growth, but it's honestly hard to put my finger on where. It would be nice to hear a little more of the heavy side of things and see just how far they can take it, but that's more of a personal preference.
The Verdict: It takes a very specific spark to kindle my interest in more traditional prog and doom elements, but Hertz Kantalok seem to know precisely where to find the flint stone with Make Madder Music. Bravo.
Flight's Fav's: Deceive Yourself!, Cargo Cult
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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