Since forming in 2009, Amarok have spent time perfecting their sound with four splits, most notably with Salem, Oregon’s Hell before dredging debut album Devoured from the depths of somewhere dark and miserable. As you’ll hear on first single “VIII Skeleton,” Amarok dwell at the most miserable end of sludge and doom, throwing in elements of crushing funeral doom and even veering into crawling, tortured drone à la Khanate.
It’s this variety of influences that makes Devoured special. Despite its gargantuan length (two of four songs are over 20 minutes, and “VIII Skeleton” is the shortest song on the album at over 11 minutes), Amarok keep things fresh. The songs aren’t long for length’s sake; space is used and filled. The end result is crushing, hopeless and dark.
Devoured is slated for a June 22 release on Translation Loss.
