The DevilsHorns

Berlin based Greek band, Unverkalt have released their second album 3 years after their debut. A Lump of Death: A Chaos of Dead Lovers, a mouthful of an album name if ever there was one, features elements of doom and post-metal underpinned by a strong avant-garde approach.

With tracks set in the 70’s, based around crimes and serial killers – the intro features spoken words regarding ‘Son of Sam’ – the album content is dark. This darkness is compounded and reinforced with occasional haunting vocals throughout the album.

However, the vocals also have a baby-like quality which at times can be quite frustrating – think Gwen Stefani singing ‘I’m just a girl’ from her No Doubt  days but with doomy post-metal often repetitive riffing in the background. This style of vocal will not be for everybody. Some may love it and it will enhance the album experience, others will not be able to get their head around it and it will ruin the experience.

about it after a relatively ineffectual beginning.

‘Le Triomphe de la Morte’ brings a bit of variety with its keys led intro, offering a far more interesting track that some of its predecessors.

The biggest issue with the album is that the tracks do not differentiate themselves enough. This is potentially a trait of the post-metal genre. Repetitive riffs are the norm, the lyrical content is interesting and suits the full concept of the album, but the lack of variety is palpable.

A Lump of Death: A Chaos of Dead Lovers, for some, will be an incredibly tough listen. For fans of the genre, for those who enjoyed Cult of Luna’s collaboration with Julie Christmas a few years back, Unverkalt will have released an album they find very impressive.

I, unfortunately, sit in the former and so subsequent listens are unlikely.

Band Website: https://unverkalt.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Unverkalt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unverkalt