Kongh - Sole Creation (2013)

Is it just me or is four songs not enough for a full album? Well if you ask the Swedish doom/sludge metal band Kongh then they would say that four songs is enough. I am not going to bitch about the play time (44:44) but even if the songs are about ten minutes long I expect at very least six songs. Other wise you can call your so called album an EP.

Anyhow, Kongh has its origins in Nässjö, Småland and consists only by drummer Tomas Salonen and multi instrumentalist David Johansson. "Sole Creation" is the third album from the band and just as you would expect from a band in the doom/sludge metal genre, we are dealing with heavy song that are slow and dark. But the thing in Kongh's music that is standing out is the impressive guitar work that never sounds to powerful nor to quiet. But there is one problem I always seem to find whenever I listen to stoner metal and that is that the mellow sound can make me impatient since it takes some time before something changes in a song. And when the songs here are over ten minutes I get the urge to fast forward to a more exiting spot. It is this characteristic in me that is the main reason to why I do not listen to much music in this genre but from time to time I try to expand my horizons and listen to this genre for example.

Out of the four songs I would say that "The Portals" is the song that appeals me the most since there is something happening through the entire song. Especially like the guitars and David's vocals on this particular track. The other three songs ("Sole Creation", "Tamed Brute" and "Skymning" (Swedish for twilight)) have their own special charm but they do not impress enough to make a long lasting impression on me. They all have at least one part that is so slow that I fall asleep which definitely ruins the experience for me. The main problem with "Sole Creation" is that it does not keep my interest, it just shows some greatness from time to time but it does not hold a consistent standard throughout the album which ultimately leads to that my attention is focused else where. And no, I do not suffer from ADD if you are wondering that.

You probably will like this album more than me if you are into doom and stoner metal but "Sole Creation" is just not my cup of tea. It is still a listenable album and I have heard far worse stoner albums in my days but the fact that the songs are as slow as a Sunday driver and have the typical length of a Dream Theater song makes me fall asleep before the end of the album. I will still listen to at least a couple of albums a year in the stoner genre in case I actually find something that I like but this album is not the chosen one for me. Sorry stoner lovers but "Sole Creation" is not an album that is memorable to me.

Song worthy of recognition: The Portals

Rating: 5/10 Tamed Brutes