Amarok - Resilience (2024)

Unraveling a gargantuan Doom/Sludge Metal release, today we have North America’s Amarok and their punishing sophomore release “Resilience”. In the same vein as outfits like Bell Witch, Nizmor, Usnea and Lycus, this band crafts some of the most oppressive and soul crushing long and demoralizing songs we have ever heard. Five tracks and nearly sixty-five minutes of music are a testament to this.

Opening with the emotional rollercoaster that is “Charred (X)” the band quickly sets a very bleak and desolate soundscape, filled with Sludgy riffs and hellish vocals. If your soul did not get crushed by the 17-minute opener, the 18-minute “Ascension (XI)” will surely achieve that. This track has an even slower pace, throwing Funeral Doom vibes as the weeping guitars make way for slow snarls and piercing growls. Filled with crafty tempo changes, this track is definitely one of the finest of its kind, and a new personal favorite.

After breaking things up with an interlude, the procession continues with “Penance (XII)” and its excruciatingly slow tempo, delivering feelings of misery and sadness as it lays waste to the listener with its slow riffs and faster onslaughts. It is not trivial to make such moody songs work and Amarok does it without breaking a sweat. The slow build-up of the closer “Legacy (XIII) nicely reminded us of bands like Mournful Congregation and Thergothon.

Crafting massively long Doom Metal tracks is an art by itself and Amarok shows great skill and poise in doing so. With their sophomore release, “Resilience”, the band shows that their crushing debut album was not a fluke. All five tracks in this release create the perfect funeral dirge and should be recognized as some of the finest in the genre, so make sure you get a copy of this release and catch the band live on their upcoming tour.

Label: Vulture Print (US)/ Vendetta Records (Europe)

Release: June 28th, 2024

Genre: Sludge/Doom Metal

Country: USA