A new force out of Trondheim, this oddity of a group has been quickly making icy waves through their home nation’s fjords and beyond. Khonsu only formed this year, but were signed to Season of Mist and performed at Oslo’s distinguished Inferno Festival with nothing but a demo under their studded belts.
Falling somewhere on the aural bridge between Meshuggah and Arcturus (although much more melodious and accessible), the Norwegians sometime take detours to more industrial locales, most evident on penultimate track “The Malady.” But their tendency to sprinkle programmed drums and spaced-out keyboards throughout the effort doesn’t hinder them, it helps to set them apart from a nation and scene that still sometimes attempts to recreate to the trve days of yore.
Full review after the jump!
The label of ‘avant-garde’ could be a deathwish for any band, but Khonsu use their out-of-left-field approach sparingly and intelligently. This is isn’t weird for the sake of weird, designed to alienate listeners with nonsensical song structures or a distaste for melody. It’s a charred cornucopia of influences and mad voices, all coming together with a distinctly singular and surprisingly focused vision. Some of Anomalia’s most brilliant moments come in the form of the aggressively played staccato acoustic guitars that occasionally erupt out of nowhere yet are able to easily find their place in ordered chaos. Their counterpoint with more traditional distorted strings pairs perfectly with the angered screams and clean singing provided by Keep of Kalessin’s Arnt Grønbech.
Working alongside his brother, the album was entirely written and recorded by S. Grønbech, the project’s mastermind. Trapped in a dead skin mask, he plays the role of a cadaverous conductor, transitioning between movements with an artful grace as his sonic minions play perfectly to his every command. And with those directions, he’s created one of the year’s most sinister symphonies with his channelled insanity and labyrinthine musical vision.
Anomalia was released on August 24th. Follow the Norwegian madmen on Facebook, or gaze terrifyingly into their inexplicable portal.
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