This is the new release by the death/doom metal band Akem Manah. This release has new versions of the 2 previously released download-only tracks “Children Of Evil” and the song that will create the most interest from doom fans, a cover of Electric Wizard’s ‘Funeralopolis.’ The EP or mini album depending on what you want to call it also features three new tracks. This band has a strange name but what is even stranger is there is another band with the same name from Belgium and they are also heavy so don’t get them confused.
This Akem Manah is from the wonderful US state of Oregon which is a place not renown for its bands even though, some of the best US bands actually live in the state. The first full-length from this band was ‘The Devil is in All of You’ which was released in 2010 and was a very good album, this sounds a bit different to me but sounds even better in my opinion.
Akem Manah play a sick blend of stoner-metal, doom-metal and extreme black-metal atmospherics with all the satanic elements you would expect from such an act. This is black, slow, ultra-heavy, raw in the vein of Electric Wizard, Ramesses and Cough but it is mixed with horror-laced atmosphere similar to that of Acid Witch, Coffins and Hooded Menace. The band is certainly not for the faint of heart or the feeble-minded doom fan and folks into the lighter side of doom like My Dying Bride etc might want to stay clear of this bleak, deadly brand of death-doom.Read the rest of the review after the jump.
The recording starts with the song ‘Black Magic (Punishment)’ and features soundbites from the 1975 Hong Kong movie called ‘Black Magic.’ From the first couple of minutes, you know what you are in for with this diabolical style of doom. It is sickly heavy and oozing with fuzz and delay and has a gargantuan sound design to crush the weak, like I said, it is not for the average metal-fan.
‘The Lurking Fear’ is one of the big highlights on the disc, it is a seething, lurching, plodding monster of a tune that is not original in any way, shape or form but with its relentless, crushing, heavy riffing and blackened atmospherics – most stoner-doom fans will be rolling around the floor with glee over this track. ‘Children Of Evil’ is an even more of a sonic-assault made that way by mountains of feedback so it is a perfect soundtrack for those mentally disturbed zombie-like people out there.
The odd death-growl that is featured here and there on the album also works to perfection as it is not overused and never gets tedious. 15 minutes into this and you come across their cover of Electric Wizard’s ‘Funeralopolis’ and while I think that it’s a song that just can’t be covered, they do the song justice. I feel Dopethrone era Electric Wizard is untouchable really so a cover of any tune from that album is also going to be second-rate compared to the original but Akem Manah give the classic their own feel so thumbs-up for that.
‘Horror In The Eyes’ ends on the very sinister atmospherics of ‘Creatures In The Walls’ which is loosely based on the Lovecraft story called ‘Rats In The Walls’. This is without a doubt the best of the bunch, a great tune with as much heaviness as you could ever possibly want in a song and then after 30 minutes it’s all over.
This is one of those releases that within seconds of pressing play, you know exactly what to expect but it still kills. The killer, bombastic riffs and heavy grooves have a good amount of infectious quality so it is hard not to like everything here. A bit predictable but hell this is one heavy dose of death-doom. I can’t wait to hear where the band goes from here………….8.5/10
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