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The Great Old Ones - Kadath review



Reviewer:
N/A

130 users:
8.11
Band: The Great Old Ones
Album: Kadath
Style: Ambient, Atmospheric black metal
Release date: January 24, 2025
A review by: F3ynman


01. Me, The Dreamer
02. Those From Ulthar
03. In The Mouth Of Madness
04. Under The Sign Of Koth
05. The Gathering
06. Leng
07. Astral Void (End Of The Dream)

H.P. Lovecraft's most imaginative adventure tale, told through the spectral black metal of The Great Old Ones.

The Great Old Ones are a French black metal band who have centered their lyrical themes around H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror mythos. One prominent example of their craft is their sophomore studio album of 2014, Tekeli-Li, which adapted Lovecraft's legendary novella At The Mountains of Madness. The band's cold, merciless, and frightening mixture of post metal and atmospheric black metal created an ideal medium to convey this suspenseful story of an Antarctic expedition.

The band's newest effort, Kadath, follows a similar approach, as the entire album serves as an adaptation of another iconic Lovecraftian novella: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. I actually read the original long, epic tale specifically in preparation for this review, and it was absolutely worth it! I wholeheartedly recommend that you, dear reader, go and read the dream-quest in its entirety, too.

Let me just preface this by saying that The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath might be Lovecraft's greatest achievement. On the search for a lost city of dreams, the protagonist Randolph Carter journeys into the realm of Deep Sleep, striving to find the demon-guarded Kadath, the fortress of Earth's gods. Carter's adventure takes him from enchanted forests to the dark side of the Moon, from the bone-choked pits of the underworld to the haunted plateau of Leng, and from an allied army of cats to lumbering, double-headed mountain-guardians. The story’s myriad of locations and monsters is a testament to Lovecraft's boundless imagination, and thus serves as a fertile foundation for adaptations.

It's interesting to see how metal bands convey the essence of Lovecraft's cosmic horror in different ways, from the anthemic choruses of Sulphur Aeon to the ponderous funeral doom of Tyranny. The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath itself features examples of intradiegetic music such as the mad flute-playing of the moon-beasts or the song of the spheres, which was old when space was born. The Great Old Ones do an excellent job of conveying the Lovecraftian vibe through their own, unique blend of furious black metal.

The dense, overlapping and intertwining layers of guitar-work undulate like the nameless larvae of the Other Gods, who caper and flounder all through the aether. The crowded, layered production gives a fittingly dreamy quality to the album, giving the listener at times a dizzying feeling of vertigo as the band shoots off, their soaring guitars riding the star-winds. Incessant pounding of drums keeps the album flowing, while, below the surface, lurks a patiently rumbling bass guitar, setting an alluring rhythm. And while there sadly is no piping of blasphemous flutes, the high-pitched tremolo-picked guitars come quite close in conveying the off-kilter tunes of horror.

For most of Kadath, the music is intense and fast-paced, with the vocalist’s raspy screams racing through Lovecraft's narrative. Catchy melodies like the main riff of “In The Mouth Of Madness” keep the listener engaged, while the more frenzied compositions leave the listener stricken with awe. But, there are also plenty of times in which the storm of riffs takes a break, leaving room for the brooding bass, echoing drum beats, or the plucking of an acoustic guitar to rebuild the tension. Spoken words whispered in French add to the mysterious atmosphere as well.

After the short, moody interlude of “The Gathering”, we dive into the 15-minute-long track of epicness: “Leng”! Named after the cold, infamous plateau of legend, where satyr-like almost-humans prance around detestable, flickering fires; where scaly, horse-headed shantak-birds swoop between black mountain peaks of dread; where, inside a circle of ancient stone monoliths, a remote and prehistoric monastery lurks, wherein dwells the high-priest not to be described, who wears a yellow silken mask over his face and prays to the Other Gods and their crawling chaos Nyarlathotep. All of these frightening and alien visions are what The Great Old Ones attempt to convey on this menacing instrumental track called “Leng”, and they do a damn good job. Alternating between powerful riffs, tranquil passages, and unnerving melodies, the penultimate “Leng” provides a perfectly ominous build-up to the final voyage and the end of the dream.

Listening to the album, reading along with the lyrics, I relive the epic and terrifying dream-quest in all its glory. In a way, my experience with this album so far reminds me of my first listens of Vektor’s Terminal Redux: both are bursting with complex musicianship and lyrics that trace an epic, hour-spanning story, and their intensity requires several listens to fully appreciate. And like Terminal Redux, I have a feeling Kadath will end up being an easy contender for album of the year.

Do you seek Kadath, dear reader? Do you burn with the flame of quest? Go call your feline friends, hitch a ride on a zebra, and don't forget the secret words of the ghouls. Kadath awaits!






Written on 29.01.2025 by The sign of good music is the ability to both convey and trigger emotion.


Comments

Comments: 3   Visited by: 118 users
29.01.2025 - 03:17
Rating: 9
Vellichor
What an excellent review F3ynman, very thorough and well written. I love that you read the story for the review, it is excellent as are most of Lovecraft’s works and provides a lot of context for what you’re hearing. I agree, early AOTY contender, although it’s looking pretty stacked already.

This album is just incredible from start to finish. It’s a big at album at 66 minutes but it’s worth every second imo and easily the best black metal I’ve heard in a minute.
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29.01.2025 - 09:18
24emd
Theory Snob
I found myself enjoying this release more than previous ones of the band, I'd never really been able to get into them. This was a great review, can't imagine anyone not wanting to check it out after reading this
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"I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense." - Proverbs 30:2
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02.02.2025 - 08:58
nikarg
Staff
Yeah man, great review! I also think the album is very good, and even a great first contact for anyone not familiar with this band. “In The Mouth Of Madness” and “Leng” are very accessible for that matter.
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