Khnvm – Foretold Monuments of Flesh

A few years ago I came upon this Iranian death metal band Nex Carnis who released their first album Obscure Visions Of Dark. And as soon as I acquired their debut album I was totally blown by the stunning musical piece from the Persian death metal brigade. And because death metal is now spreading like a plague across the globe we often come across many unknown bands. But thanks to the social media for providing the streaming platforms. 

Another recent discovery is the international death metal band Khnvm who debuted their album through Testimony Records on March the 23rd. Relatively speaking one of things which the two bands have in common is that both bands actually originate from the Asian continent. But that’s not what I am implying here, the mutual relation between them is that both bands have Slavic members behind the drum kit. And for this reason Foretold Monuments of Flesh is a brutal album. The music is obtained by the good qualities of the duo who have turned the effect of their music into one hell of a grinding death metal onslaught. And despite of the fact that the debut comes in 7 tracks of total duration of 29 minutes, the album is unsettling and unpredictable. Concerning the band name which was taken from the ancient Egyptian god of Nile, Khnum means create. 

The album combines the efforts of Obliterator who is a Bangladeshi national guitarist, bassist and vocalist and the Polish drummer Krzysztof Klingbein who resides in Germany. Blasting with grinding drums the album title track is unleashed with relentless fury and monstrous death metal growling. The songs on the debut are fast and insanely brutal, and it’s quite a surprise to say that Khnvm have made a good job in keeping the sound sophisticating but direct. 

With guitars mainly spewing the dissonant riffs, and thick bass and technical riffing that makes a great impression on how the duo have handled the instrumentation. While linking their sound to the brutal death metal style, Khnvm burrows the bold style from the U.S. death metal. And with utmost tenacity of the drummer who keeps the sound in a brutal form and this what makes the album so enjoyable. 

Invocato Deo Plaga is an impressive and sustainable track, where the lead guitar shines the most by also adding some rhythm into the song structure. There is a good sense to songwriting, most of the tracks on the debut are short ranging between three to four minutes. The guitar section have a great tonality, bringing in good grooves, the drums are powerful, fast and functional. The guitars brings many different styles including the sparsely melodies which appear here and there. Drums are mainly unleashed with blast beats that entertains the fans of old school death metal. 

If you are a fan of early Immolation and Sinister then this album is recommended to the conservative death metal maniacs. Other outstanding tracks which are included on this album is the fourth track Sic Mundus Creatus Est, which is intensely performed. The guttural growls are highly effectual, there is a lot of diversity and unpredictable moments within the songs. Drummer Krzysztof Klingbein plays a dynamic role in crafting the music. The guitars in general are outstanding, the piercing solos on Profaning the Ancient Rites are quite skillful. As mentioned Foretold Monuments of Flesh has a variable speed and tempos, the riffs are loaded with chugs and dissonance. With the last remaining tracks Khnvm strikes with a punishing raw death metal brutality. Gutted to the Bone maintains the chemistry between the duo, the track is initiated with the massive outrage of the guitar riffs.

Kabbalah of Darkness which is the last track on the album is my personal favorite track. Approached with double bass and killer tremolo lines, withal tempest riffing. This is an excellent mid pacing style of death metal battered with crushing drum beats. Finally I can say that Foretold Monuments of Flesh is a welcoming effort which resulted into a bloodletting work of a death metal album massacre. 

Release Date: March 29th, 2019
Label: Testimony Records
Track list:

1. Foretold Monuments of Flesh
2. Invocato Deo Plaga
3. Heathen Beast
4. Sic Mundus Creatus Est
5. Profaning the Ancient Rites
6. Gutted to the Bone
7. Kabbalah of Darkness