This is the third album from UK doom/sludge band Kulk.
Now here’s an intriguing release. On the surface of it, Choosing to Die is a 26-minute doomsludge album ostensibly in the vein of many others. Look more closely though, and you’ll find a record far broader in scope and ambition. Kulk take a style that’s been done to death and infuse it with fresh vitality.
Choosing to Die is an album of feedback and feeling, with a core emphasis on the latter. The songs are mostly short and harsh, but built from an emotional foundation that powers each construct.
The Kulk style is a hybrid of sludge, doom, noise rock, and punk influences. Because of the this, the songwriting is deceptively simple, yet extremely effective. Kulk don’t mess around. Choosing to Die is a damn fun album, but one that also offers more than surface appeal.
The music is heavy and nasty, but also packs in the hooks and oodles of rhythmic groove. The feeling baked into every track increases their potency. Kulk make you want to smash things and dance at the same time. It’s a remarkably infectious album, one that’s hard to stay still to. However, when it demands that you physically move, it frequently also does so emotionally.
Kulk manage to balance substance and immediate impact. The record has more ideas than you’ll generally find in a style like this, and it executes them well – this is especially true in the latter half of the record, and in particular on the last three tracks. Choosing to Die may only be brief, but it wrings out everything it can from every last minute, and offers up a very well-rounded collection of songs for the listener to explore.
Choosing to Die holds the listener’s attention firmly. It’s ridiculously enjoyable, while also showcasing a depth absent from many similar bands’ releases. There’s atmosphere, there’s brutality, there’s top tier filthy songcraft. What’s not to like? If you’re a fan of sludge heaviness, but also want mood-focused texture alongside your killer riffs and punishing beats, then this is for you.
Essential listening.
Wonderbox Metal 