### Kongh: Shadows of the shapeless

#### 08/02/10 || The Duff

Kongh. The name itself conjures all things big n’ heary; wilderness, heavy-set gorillas, doggie-style hot-sex and pendulous scrota slapping against buxom-lasses’ well-endowed chests, this Swedish three-piece deliver the sound most closely associated to their moniker – slow, heavy, no loveliness in sight. Having released their first demo in 2006, “Shadows of the Shapeless” is the follow-up to the band’s debut album “Counting Heartbeats” of the same year, to which I am unacquainted, so to not break stride in my journalistic endeavors replete with reliability, this will be a “from scratch” review as to my relationship with the band in question.

There are five tracks on this album, the running time totaling to just around fifty-five minutes; book-ended by two of the lengthiest tracks both well past the ten minute mark, “Shadows of the Shapeless” is a well-paced effort that doesn’t tax the mind so much, with cumbersome, down-tuned and drawn-out rhythms of doom influence abound, along the lines of Sabbath, Neurosis, Melvins but also touches of more energizing styles like Motörhead, High on Fire and hints of black metal (atmospheres draw parallel, but don’t be expecting anything akin to pace) – add to this cleans of Neurosis (once more in a very doom vein) and you have Kongh’s very cool if only paltry on identity take on metal.

I can see Minsk fans really eating this stuff up, but where the Illinois-originated band at times fails to cut out the excess, Kongh have tightened their songs all nice and pretty; I’m real close to checking into this band more seriously, but at the same time, as with Minsk, hesitation comes upon trying to separate this band from its idols – I reckon that, as a fervent pursuer of this sound, I’ll cave in and as such recommend “Shadows of the Shapeless” to anyone of a similar mindset; the blend of black metal raspy meets Matt Pike vocals, dirty, heavy riffing, Mastodon and Neurisis worship, complementary production and all in all quite attractive-looking presentation reveals one tantalizing brew indeed, and much to their favour Kongh are a darker beast than most of their kind and so bear some degree of importance.

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: Trust No One Recordings
- Website: Kongh MySpace
- Band
- David Johansson: guitars, vocals
- Oskar Ryden: bass
- Tomas Salonen: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Unholy Water
- 02. Essence Asunder
- 03. Tank Pa Doden
- 04. Voice of the Below
- 05. Shadows of the Shapeless