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CROMLECH
Ascent Of Kings

Hessian Firm (2023)
Rating: 8.5/10

There are a lot of bands – past and present – that have adopted the moniker of Cromlech, but not many of those respective acts have produced an album over an hour in length. This particular Cromlech hails from Toronto in Canada and they have been in existence since 2011, although it’s been a decade now since their 2013 debut offering, Ave Mortis, dropped.

With its folky elements, Cromlech provides thunderous, epic doom metal whereby each track takes you on a wondrous journey like some ancient tapestry brimming with intriguing and cryptic texts and old, esoteric imagery.

To set the tone for this behemoth of a record, opening track ‘Cimmeria’ sets the scene with its atmospheric intro, like the beginning of a majestic movie, before the quintet takes us on a staggering musical foray just shy of 15-minutes and riddled with sizzling lead work and bombastic nuances. Cromlech rages like some mid-80s Euro metal act – most likely from Sweden – that drips with a sombreness and doom, and gallops like a mix of Pagan Altar, Heavy Load, Iron Maiden and Trouble.

In spite of its grandiose nature, the sound of Cromlech remains dark, brooding and raw. There is a bizarre and ghoulish vibe to the vocal commands and warbles, and an air of the maniacal about every other thread too as the clan comes running over the hills brandishing clubs for instruments. The whining menace of ‘False Peace / Total War’ shifts gracefully between arduous slogs and unorthodox speedy rambles as again those weird vocals echo through caves and eardrums simultaneously and in truly maddening fashion.

It is also weird how Cromlech also brings dashes of speed to their strange brew, and yet with ‘Born With Sword In Hand (Doomed To Martyrdom)’ there is a peculiar power metal vibe as if I’ve discovered these guys on an 80s metal compilation. But pigeon-holing such diabolical sword n’ sorcery frenzies is pointless because Cromlech have carved a genuine niche and created a sound that is more commonplace alongside the wails of fallen warriors on bloody battlefields.

The title track is metal in its purest form with clashing percussion, tickling bass lines, wild leads, crushing riffs and a majestic air that soars on the great wings of a predatory eagle. However, never far away is that nook of darkness, that underground plateau whereby such cacophony was initially created. The sense of mystery which surrounds this record is evident as it oozes from every crevice and is summed up in the lumbering closer ‘Turambar (Master Of Doom / By Doom Mastered)’.

Beguiling is a fine word to sum up this masterful troll-slaying opus; Ascent Of Kings is a record that oozes with a uniqueness while flowing at the base of the misty mountains of utter metal madness.

Neil Arnold

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