### Konkhra: Reality check

#### 06/10/04 || Lord K Philipson

Bandleader Anders approached me with an e-mail asking if I wanted to review their new album, to which I said yes. He then sent “Reality Check” over in the mail. For that, he deserves a beating in the balls… After listening to this album quite a few times, I have a feeling that the aforementioned beating won’t be a too fucken bad one.

Konkhra is another one of those bands I never really cared to check out for one reason or the other, which is something I might have to regret now that I know what they sound like. I hear some Vader in Konkhra, and a lot of that is thanx to Anders’ vocals. Those are some fine semi-growls without a doubt. Whereas Vader are pretty much full-on death metal, the Danes display a lot more variation, ranging from blistering death metal to more thrashy grooves and heaviness de fucken luxe.

I wouldn’t have a clue as to how many albums Konkhra’s been releasing throughout their career but I have a feeling it’s quite a bunch, seeing that they have been around since like… forever, but if what they did in the past sounds anything like this, I think I’d better check them out to fulfill my desire for deathrash la cream. Whatever that means.

As much as I may hear some Vader in them (which actually decreases every time I listen to the album, go figure) there are hints of bands like Machine Head and whatnot in what these guys do. But still, they manage to attain a little more of a brutal approach than the last mentioned spermzoids. What puzzles me a bit though, is that the album goes by pretty much unnoticed. It’s like putting on any decent album by any newer band if you get my drift. It’s not as if the songwriting stands out like the super-wart in Lemmys’ face, but still, there’s nothing remotely bad about it. It’s just not anything very special. As with a lot of bands, it’s competent as hell, it grooves here and there, the production is pretty damn good and it’s packed in a neat jewel-case.

I think you’ll understand what I mean when I say that the music is as good as the packaging. It’s 2004 and pretty much anything that gets released nowadays holds a good packaging as well as competent musicianship. I knew that Konkhra would deliver the goods – don’t ask me how, but I did. From full-on blasters like the title track, to songs like “Lowlife” (which puts emphasis on pure heaviness), Konkhra offers you a good dose of quality deathrash. It’s up to you if you wanna take them up on that very offer.

I’ll gladly take a piece of it inbetween listening to Alice Deejay, Vader and Alanis Morrisette.

7 standard chugga-chugga riffs outta 10.

- Information
- Released: 2004
- Label: Code 666
- Website: www.konkhra.com
- Band
- Anders Lundemark: guitars, vocals
- Johnny Nielsen: drums
- Lars Schmidt: bass
- Kim Mathiesen: lead guitars

- Tracklist
- 01. Warmonger
- 02. The Lions Are Hungry
- 03. Reality Check
- 04. Eye Of Horus
- 05. Hellhound On My Trail
- 06. Fear Of God
- 07. The Coming Of®Age
- 08. Grapes Of Wrath
- 09. Parasite
- 10. Day Of The Dog
- 11. Lowlife
- 12. The Blackest Of Dawn