8 May 2016

Sunken: "The Crackling of Embers"


Funerary encounters keeps the genre fresh in a uniform atmosphere
Despite some early but quite substantial lineup changes, Denmark's Sunken succeeded in releasing a 26 minute demo of atmospheric black metal with The Crackling of Embers within the same year of their creation. A quick release like this could indicate two things; A rushed writing and recording process, or a result of the fervor of a newly started band eager to write and perform.


The Crackling of Embers is anything but makeshift. Instead it is rather well-crafted, and performed with cautious respect and reckless abandon in equal measures. The potency of the quintet's songwriting cannot be denied as the two tracks found on the demo have both impact and lasting atmosphere. Though straightforward on the outside, once the layers start peeling back to reveal what lies underneath Sunken unveils their true identity as an entity of many currents. Their heart lies heavy with organic and atmospheric black metal compositions, but more than once do they nod off to the dreaming nightmare-lands of funerary doom metal processions.

"At a cursory glance The Crackling of Embers and its twin track Extinguished seem humdrum and commonplace,"

Not quite as droning and weary-dreary as many contemporaries, Sunken keeps things alive with ongoing successions of varying intensity and melody. Far from esoteric, their style is almost rather accessible (for a black metal band). It is tough to keep the listener's attention with compositions over ten minutes in length - But Sunken take what they have and make the best of it. At a cursory glance The Crackling of Embers and its twin track Extinguished seem humdrum and commonplace, but as mentioned earlier the true strength lies underneath in the details that, ultimately, also keep it all together in the grander scheme of things.

7/10


Released in 2013 independently

Links
Sunken on FACEBOOK
Sunken on BANDCAMP

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