I am a slave to the obscurities, and whilst Kaal Akuma are far from the first band hailing from the shores of Bangladesh, it is still enough to pique my interest. Formed back in 2019, the trio of Ah Puch, (Drums) Akif, (Guitars) and Rivoo (Bass/Vocals) set out on their Death Metal journey and in 2021 unleashed their debut opus, a Dunkelheit Produktionen released full length album by the name of ‘In the Mouth of Madness. Later this month Kaal Akuma will help us to feast on their latest depravity by teaming up with Nuclear Winter Records to put out new EP ‘Turiya’ on both CD and cassette.
Opening track ‘Ego Death’ hits in straight away with the all of the ominous rumble of a nuclear holocaust. Marauding drum tones combine with throbbing bass play to lay the foundations of the all-encompassing sound, whilst a mixture of thunderously heavy riffs and flicks of technical guitar rhythm expand on that foundation and make it soar into a steaming juggernaut of colossal Death Metal fury! Providing the foul tasting icing on this particularly grim looking cake are the ravenous vocal surges and haunting growls which will be the envy of many an aspiring Death Metal vocalist.
What makes Kaal Akuma appeal to my own personal music tastes is their ability to not just churn out a festival of power and gruesomeness, but also to focus on extended bouts of slow, technical sounding Death Metal that not only increases the intensity of the whole release, but adds a thick impenetrable layer of gloom to the whole thing too.
Tracks such as ‘Tiyanak’ give off the foul belligerence and perilous odour of early Bolzer work, circa their ‘Aura’ period. And just like the Swiss duo, Kaal Akuma have both a nasty sound and an impressive production standard. Another duality in this bands work is the structured nature of their style which is designed to sound chaotic and rebellious, something that the trio pull off well. On the whole then ‘Turiya’ is a harrowing demonstration of menacing Death Metal savagery from a part of the world you might not expect it from.
