Krohm - The Haunting Presence

KROHM - The Haunting Presence (DEBEMUR MORTI - CD 2007)

I know that Krohm has a lot of respect among the US black metal bands and generally this project belongs to the most interesting names from there. But for some reason I never had many opportunities to hear Krohm's music. Actually, I only know this one album, "The Haunting Presence" from 2010, which I have in a promo CD format. Which one day I need to swap for a vinyl. Because this is really damn interesting record. 

What happens here is that Krohm almost casts a spell on the listener, it's so hard to break away from the music of this album. Its atmosphere is incredibly dark and majestic, epic and ghastly. The pace is mostly slow and the title of the album "The Haunting Presence" is very relevant to the content. This music really haunts you, slowly dragging you into the atmosphere of horror. And there, inside the seven sorrowful chapters, you will find great examples of classic, flawless melancholic black metal. Nothing on this material is out of place; the sound is great, the vocals are like a whisper of death, the riffs and melodies are just impressive... Even the delicate, rather discrete sound of keyboards has been perfectly put together, completing the atmosphere and improving the final effect.  

These songs seem to move slowly, almost infinitely, forward (such a "Lifeless Serenade" lasts for eight minutes), but there is nothing monotonous and dull here; the feeling of being overwhelmed by the cold, eerie atmosphere of these songs simply prevails. Basically, you could put "The Haunting Presence" aside with the albums from Xasthur, Strid, Leviathan or Nachtmystium - and it will not sound any weaker. It's just a great album, in my opinion, and a perfect soundtrack for a winter walk. 

Verdict: 80/100