This is the second album from German post-metallers Druma.
Sores of Our Time contains 36 minutes of music spread out over four songs. Druma’s style is a mix of sludge and post-metal, with dark atmosphere and a rich blackened touch. With a promo blurb that says it should be for fans of bands such as The Ocean, Cult of Luna, Amenra, and Gaerea, Sores of Our Time is an album that demanded I pay attention to it.
Sores of Our Time is an atmospheric album, characterised by an apocalyptic melancholy. It’s heavy and aggressive within this framework, using a mixture of shaded darkness and mood-focused hostility to craft its soundscapes.
The post-metal build/release mechanic is well-used, enhanced by Druma’s contemporary black metal edge. There are a range of textures to be explored across the songs, from the light touch of the the gentle breeze that foreshadows a greater danger, to fully fledged whirlwinds of blackened blast beats and crushing walls of sludge malevolence. Druma write their songs with nuance, paying attention to the details, but they also know how to sound absolutely massive; a landslide of distortion that crashes down on your whole body with irrefutable weight.
The vocals are largely gruff and unfriendly, (the only exception being the section of clean singing in Till the End). The singer delivers a performance that’s raw and harsh. She focuses on blunt brutality, yet still manages to imbue her voice with tinges of sadness and woe.
This is damn good. The onslaught of apocalyptic darkness is just relentless. Druma have impressed. Fans of bands such as Agrimonia, Archivist, Axioma, Battle Path, Fall of Efrafa, Jupiterian, Light Bearer, Lowered, Morrow, and Sun of Nothing should definitely pay attention to what Druma have to offer.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 