King Apathy - Wounds (2019)

Unleashing their most mature and crushing release to date, today we have Germany’s King Apathy with “Wounds”. Perfectly blending melancholy and melody with aggression, the band’s sound is quite unique and captivating. Distributing over 45 minutes of music in 9 heavy hitting tracks, the band guides the listeners through a devastating and quite punishing aural journey. If you like dreamy music that is both oppressive and raw, this is certainly the album for you.

The album kicks off with the mysterious “Civilization Kills”, a track that sets a very desolate mood thanks to its crushing bass guitar line, perfectly paired with incisive riffs. The explosiveness of “The Scars of the Land” fits perfectly with the harsh vocals and the crafty drumming patterns. This track also features a very dreamy Post-Rock/Shoegazey passage that nicely changes the pace of the song. Slowly building up with a certain Doomy vibe, “Cleansing” is one of our favorite tracks, thanks to the soaring guitar leads and very intense tempo changes.

Slowly growing into their sound, the band unleashes brilliant pieces like “Great Depression” and “Revelation Time”, two tracks that craft a very dynamic and yet uneasy atmosphere that is criminally enjoyable. Every track in this release features uniquely crafted elements, like the Punkish passage of “He Missed the Stars”, or the very dramatic vocal arrangements of “Reverence”, which are masterfully combine with crafty drumming and raw distorted guitars.

Near the end, the band the demoralizing title track, a piece that is quite mellow and very atmospheric in nature. As “Earthmother Rising” rolls in, we are left very impressed by the band’s oppressive guitar-driven atmosphere and how well they combine elements to craft very unique and dynamic songs. If you are a fan of bands like Amenra, Heretoir, Year of No Light and Hemelbestormer, this is definitely one of the best releases you will find in 2019. “Wounds” is by far one of the most punishing atmospheric/melancholic releases in the genre this year.

Label: LifeForce Records

Release: February 22nd, 2019

Genre: Melodic/Atmospheric Post-Metal/Post-Hardcore

Country: Germany