Band:	Kurokuma
Album:	Of Amber And Sand
Style:	Doom metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	August 2024
A review by:	musclassia

01. I Am Forever
02. Sandglass
03. Death No More
04. Clepsydra
05. Fenjaan
06. Bell Tower
07. Neheh
08. Timekeeper
09. Crux Ansata
10. Awakening
11. Chronoclasm

There’s a rush of excitement that comes with discovering a band right at the very early stages of their musical journey, and contemplating all the endless possibilities of where they could go next. Still, with that in mind, it’s worth recognizing that not all of said possibilities will align with one’s hopes or expectations.

Kurokuma weren’t necessarily new when I first encountered them in 2021, having already accumulated several EPs, demos and splits since forming in 2014, but it was in witnessing 2 live performances by the band, during each of which they played their impending debut album Born Of Obsidian in full, that I was turned onto what a force they were. The monumental, relentless riffs on the album made an impact that was only heightened by the overbearing, repetition-heavy nature in which they were utilized; the songs sound great on the album, and they sounded even better live. Therefore, there was some concern on my end when I caught the band at last year’s Damnation Festival and found myself utterly underwhelmed by their performance; unfortunately, this to some level foreshadowed my experience of listening to their sophomore effort, Of Amber And Sand.

Having directed their gaze towards Mesoamerican civilization on Born Of Obsidian, Kurokuma opted to focus on time for Of Amber And Sand’s concept, contrasting the passage of time, and rise and fall of civilizations, with the static nature of specimens preserved in amber. A focus on time can be detected in the album’s structure; where Born Of Obsidian contained 5 generally long songs, this new record interweaves sub-minute interludes between ‘full’ tracks that range from just over 2 minutes (“Neheh”) right the way beyond 10 minutes for closing track “Chronoclasm”.

It's not just track length that is different this time around, however, as musically this album distinguishes itself from its predecessor in several ways. Born Of Obsidian featured certain musical elements, particularly percussive ones, that tied the songs to historical Central America; Of Amber And Sand’s own world music explorations are inspired more by Eastern Europe and the Middle East, as is evident on opening track “I Am Forever” (featuring a guest baglama solo) and subsequent interludes. However, it’s more in how the album moves away from the debut’s sludge doom style that raises some eyebrows. While sludge is still clearly a leading factor in the album’s fabric, Kurokuma find themselves dabbling at times with sounds that bear hallmarks of Gojira-esque groove (“Fenjaan” serving as one example) or more extreme bands, with an influence from death metal heard on tracks like “Death No More”. At the other end of the spectrum, “Neheh”, which was performed in a more extended version with a guest rapping feature at Damnation, owes more to nu metal with how it incorporate hip-hop rhythms.

It's an ambitious approach that Kurokuma have taken on Of Amber And Sand, and it’s one that hasn’t entirely fallen flat. Perhaps the strongest song here, “I Am Forever” kicks the record off with a mean, churning sludge riff, and the intense, ranting onslaught of vocals works in tandem with the riffs to build some pounding momentum, while the baglama brings some unexpected flavours and dynamics into the equation. “Death No More” is a bit more patient with its brooding build-up, yet during the glimpses in which buzzsaw guitars emerge, it manages to land some heavy blows.

Ultimately though, while broadly I do like this album, I feel like when contrasted with the debut record, it has both a lower ceiling and a lower floor. When I look at the two sets of tracks, I can’t pinpoint a single one on Of Amber And Sand that I find to be more enjoyable than any of the ones on Born Of Obsidian; not even “Chronoclasm”, the aforementioned 10-minute closer and a generally solid effort, manages to unlock the irresistible, hypnotizing groove that the long songs delivered so successfully on the debut, instead dedicating a bit too much time to semi-psychedelic guitar soundscaping and a tad too little time to laying down compelling riffs.

Set against that are the songs that fail to make any particular impact. As far as the interludes are concerned, I don’t necessarily dislike them, but they sometimes feel a bit undercooked; in particular, the first one, “Sandglass”, feels to me like it could have benefited from being twice the length and delving more into the percussive rhythms and desert sound effects. On top of that, while I can’t say I’m disappointed that “Neheh” is instrumental-only here after hearing it accompanied by vocals live, it does seem a bit strange to have a track that is so out there compared with their other material, sandwich it between two short interludes, and then make it short enough to itself feel like another interlude.

Of Amber And Sand is an album that I can respect for the band’s evident desire to not sit on their laurels after Born Of Obsidian, and it’s a record that I do find myself enjoying to a good level in multiple places. Sadly, the fact of the matter is that, having been so compelled by their debut album and supporting live peformances, I find myself listening to the next chapter of Kurokuma’s journey and feeling far less desire to dwell in it further that I anticipated.