2018 has been the year of doom, and I’m loving every second of it. With releases from Sleep, YOB (IS GOOD), Mournful Congregation, Eagle Twin, and CHRCH clogging my ears with syrupy, doomy goodness it’s been a tad difficult to focus on records that fall outside the heaviest of metal subgenres. Finland’s own Lurk’s fantastic record Fringe (re-released on Transcending Obscurity Records) does absolutely nothing to quash my ravenous love affair with all things low and slow. With their brilliant mix of doom and sludge, Lurk’s music has the potential to make the band an institution in this portion of the metal cosmos. This record is a beast, and we are incredibly pleased to be premiering its opening track, “Ostrakismos”, for you exclusively here at Heavy Blog.
The track kicks off slowly, with Arttu Pulkkinen’s guitars singing a solemn tune in its opening moments. Eventually, this haunting opening expands into a multi-faceted doom spree, as Kalle Nurmi’s drums pound in the background, adding a nasty, brooding edge to the proceedings. The band knows riffs, and rides this one for all its worth, winding it up, tearing it down, and sending it forth again with righteous fury. That is until about three minutes in, where the guitars we thought were heavy are consumed by even deadlier, more sinister guitar tone that dwarfs all that came before it. It’s at this point that the full might of Lurk’s sound unfolds, as abject heaviness cascades down in a maniacally destructive flow. At this juncture of the track we get to hear the wretched, nightmarish vocals of Kimmo Koskinen, which are absolutely fantastic. His half-whisper/guttural growl combo is both unique in doom and fits the vibe of the track perfectly. One would also be remiss to ignore the bass work of Eetu Nurmi, who adds an incredible amount of heft to the second half of the track. It’s a mesmerizing, tantalizing opening to an album that only gets better as it progresses.
Hitting another home run in a year chock-full of them, Transcending Obscurity Records has unleashed an unsettling new hell on listeners. With “Ostrakismos” only serving as an appetizer to the delicious multi-course smorgasbord that is Fringe, listeners can fully expect to have their ears melted by the sonic wonder this record contains. Look for its release on August 5th, 2018, and preorder a copy here.