Dark Void
Release the Kraken

A looming void of darkness from Cyprus is what we are dealing with here; they want the Kraken to be released. I don’t really know what that would be good for as that is not a very friendly creature but then again metal isn’t a very friendly genre. The band is a quintet, a young such quintet with an average age of only seventeen. The album certainly looks cool and fascinating, and name, title as well as cover art certainly creates a fascinating looking debut work. But is it as good as it looks?

Musically it is thrash metal, classically styled such metal with a fresher production than was the case on the classical sound. I think a band like Slayer is a good frame of reference for how it sounds. It is an EP so the playing time is limited and so is the number of songs we are presented. Fast, heavy and powerful, typical half-growling vocalist is the style of the band and the EP that plays for 24 minutes and has half-dozen tracks to provide us. The variation is what I have come to expect from an album of this genre. To say that they break new musical ground would not be an exaggeration, it would be a lie as they offer no such things – it is classical thrash metal with a somewhat updated sound.

I think it is a good EP; all the songs hold a high quality and are certainly entertaining to listen to. One has to be critical as a critic though and I have to say that the album don’t really offer anything new or fresh thinking – a plus on that regard for the South Park soundbite from the episode with Coon and Friends when Cartman as Coon presents his alliance with the dark lord Chtulu. I think that part is great but the EP still would need a bit more Mintberry Crunch in order to really fly. So, is Release the Kraken a bad idea? Well, releasing the Kraken is but the EP with the same title probably isn’t as this might very well be the start of something really exciting. I think this band the future ahead of them, as we have learnt they are very young so they might just as well find their missing soul as time passes.

I think fans of thrash metal will find this EP very pleasing; it is well made and well performed. I think this band might be on the path for greatness but you never know and this album isn’t really that exciting even with 100 Years, the Kraken and the dark lord Chtulu so a score in the middle of our rating is the best I can give them. But I don’t think they should read too much into that as they have a future and this somewhat cautious approach can be changed to a more exciting one when they grow up. So I would say that if you like thrash metal, why not give this EP 24 minutes of your time – you might find it worth the effort.

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