KHNVM is back.
Formed in 2018 between Germany and Bangladesh, the band made up of Obliterator (guitar/bass/vocals, Homicide, Nekrohowl), Martyr (bass, Faces of Fear) and Cassius (drums, Tarabas) announce their third album Visions of a Plague Ridden Sky in 2023, to be released by Neckbreaker Records and Bitter Loss Records.
The first track on the album is Awakening The Inner Alchemy I, which doesn’t waste a single second to pour its devastating blast into our faces, accompanied by thick riffs and massive vocals. The razor-sharp leads stand out from the heavy rhythm, just as they do on Visions Of A Plague Ridden Sky, which feeds on its thick Old School roots. It’s also worth noting that the mix allows bass to express itself relatively well, while dissonant guitars lead the break, followed by an ominous clean sound before Hourglass Of Decadence I allows us a brief moment of respite with mysterious oriental sounds. Violence returns on From The Depths Of Duat with its impressive, aggressive patterns, but it will be tinged with eerie tones thanks to more complex guitars or slower suffocating parts, before the band offers us an abrasive groove with Grand Evisceration, a very catchy composition. The sound barely slows down halfway through the track to introduce the solo, then the frantic march resumes until Hourglass Of Decadence II, a short composition very similar to its first version, lets the soaring sounds lead us into Awakening The Inner Alchemy II, which offers us a clean melody before letting raw Death Metal roots strike, followed by an even more aggressive acceleration to close the album.
Although very short, this new album allows KHNVM to explore heavy oppressive territories, coupled with that unhealthy dissonance, making Visions of a Plague Ridden Sky inaccessible to novices, but extremely tasty for connoisseurs.
85/100