After three EPs, Katla unveils its debut album.
Active since 2018, Rasmus Bang (drums/vocals) and Marc Lennart Christensen (guitar), joined in 2022 by Theis Stenberg Thorgersen (bass/vocals) following the departure of their previous bassist, finally signed with Napalm Records to bring us Scandinavian Pain.
The album kicks off with Dont Let The Fuckers Get You Down, which seems to feature Cassandra Moase‘s voice, obviously offering a relaxation or personal development program until she announces her title, and Goblet Of Power comes in to stomp us in the face with a thick, abrasive sound. The contrast is striking, and the addition of the hoarse vocals is perfect to bring us back to reality, whether in the slow moments or the much more energetic passages where the drums play that detonator role, but there’s also a heady melody in the background before Dead Lover takes over, first with a heavy groove and then with the bass/drums duo completed by the cavernous vocals that further reinforce that ambient anguish. Stoner roots make the track catchy and very slightly more accessible if the saturation doesn’t get in the way, then the band turns to Grind with Eating Grapes With Kevin Sharp, evoking the iconic Brutal Truth singer for a full 15 seconds. We continue with Taurus, which returns to their greasy, sometimes psychedelic style, before welcoming Ole Luk (Afsky, ex-Solbrud), who adds a darker touch to the suffocating composition, and then with Hunab, where softness is first heard in the company of Dale Smith‘s voice, who takes over all the vocals, while guitar and bass develop heady melodies. The story he tells lulls us to sleep, and then joins White Dagger, where the violence resurfaces at full speed, picking up on the screams and saturation in the oppressive way we love, and not hesitating to strike with dissonant harmonics, exploding one last time before Grim Jesus. The composition throws us to the ground in its turn, and despite a few slightly calmer moments (understand “without the guitar”), it takes great pleasure in molesting us while offering a catchy sound until the disturbing break, but saturation returns and leads us to Castle Of Purity. This last composition uses more or less the same elements as the previous track, but after halfway through, adds intoxicating melodies that complete the groove block right up to its finale, where the choruses sound the death knell.
While Katla‘s approach of Doom/Sludge is rather traditional, it is nuanced by surprising and sometimes even melodic additions on Scandinavian Pain. The band is definitely one of the most intriguing I’ve listened to this year!
90/100