Kraanium, the emperor of Slamming Brutal Death Metal, is back.
Formed in 2001, the Norwegian (now international) band featuring Mats Funderud (guitar, Diphenylchloroarsine, Dragging Entrails…), Jason Varlamos (guitar), Mika da Costa (bass), Jack Christensen (vocals, Guttural Slug, Septic Congestion) and Tobias Tellenbach (drums, Oral Fistfuck, Amputate) signed to Unique Leader Records in 2023, then announced the release of their new album, Scriptures of Vicennial Defilement.
Only with its name, Gurgling on Decomposed Feces, announces its violence. After an ominous introductive sample, the band doesn’t disappoint, letting Old School drums and overpowering riffs roll over us as the vocalist places his massive howls. Every second is heavy, just as on Cunt Pierced with Rusty Nails, which soon takes over with similar strength coupled with a devastating groove and explosive acceleration. The slower parts serve no other purpose than to snatch our necks, then Massive Piles of Festering Remains brings down its jerky riffs with a horrific video clip. It’s safe to say that the pit won’t be able to contain itself on this track, which literally strings together moshparts under increasingly gory images, while Fevid Self Dismemberment allows us a brief moment of respite with a sample before unleashing its raw power, made up of similar elements that encourage us to shake our skulls or punch anyone in the vicinity. The band continues its momentum with Internally Purified with Scorching Iron, which goes for raw efficiency by skilfully alternating catchy parts with bassdrops, but also some effective accelerations, while Deflowered by Disembowelment immediately goes off at full speed and sometimes slows down while keeping an energetic approach thanks to chopping riffs. The recipe changes little for Sliced, Diced and Sodomized, the next composition, which aligns all the most aggressive and crushing elements to create its aural grease-soaked rhythm, then the album ends with Braindead Skullfucking, an equally refined track with a relatively traditional video showing the band in action, abusing their instruments as they should.
A Kraanium album must give you cholesterol. No innovation or change in sight for the band, who plan with Scriptures of Vicennial Defilement forty minutes of pure, effective Slamming Brutal Death. And we want more!
95/100