Khanus - Rites Of Fire (2016)

These Finnish occult death metallers made this record rather short so that it could fit an EP and I think there's some Celtic Frost influence here just as much as there might be from occult black metal. The record seems to contain that dark and fearsome feeling that the black metal world is known for, but listening to “Orgone” reminds me so much of Celtic Frost's latter work that it's a bit pathetic. That being said, it's certainly not a bad note for the band either. They're obviously trying to mix ritual in with death metal, much like we've heard from their black metal counterparts, and a sort of growl is replaced with what might be a scowl in the French occult scene. It's a record that contains a lot of atmosphere, but doesn't necessarily break for atmospheric moments. Admittedly, some listeners who don't understand the whole ritualistic chanting ordeal might mistake the vocal approach for drunken muttering in places, and I can see how that might come off unintentionally comical. But we know that that wasn't the point of such an album, yet it feels very condensed and only seems to offer about half of what I think these guys are truly capable of. They're looking for a label to release their forthcoming debut on, which I hope will be a little bit better. Rites Of Fire is nothing bad, it's just not complete. It very much is an appetizer, but in their defense, it was made to fit on a vinyl record. I've still never understood the fascination with vinyls, as they cost more to make than CD's, are extremely overpriced and require several discs for one listen, which I feel is a literal waste of materials. I'd consider them outdated and they very much are, hence why the CD format became more popular. It was easier to produce and didn't require as much material usage. I wouldn't pick this one up and would rather wait until they release the full-length. If you can get a digital version from the band's Bandcamp, you may want to go that route as well. It has promise, but it's only a mere shade of what they can do.

(3 Tracks, 14:00)

6/10