4 Years have passed since the release of
Konkhra's last album
Come Down Cold. As we know by now, that album did not become quite as popular as the classic
Konkhra albums
Sexual Affective Disorder and
Spit Or Swallow. Personally I wasn't very impressed with
Weed Out The Weak either, and it seemed that front man Anders Lundemark's tactic of hiring famous people didn't work out as one could have hoped. Machine Head drummer Chris Kontos played drums on Weed out the Weak and James Murphy (Testament, Death, and Obituary) played guitar on both Weed Out The Weak and Come Down Cold. Today
Konkhra is back with the original line-up here on their fifth album
Reality Check.
Reality Check certainly is an improvement compared to Weed out the Weak and Come down Cold.
Konkhra are back in business with their groovy death thrashy music. Reality Check is a war themed album, and the cover art shows a burning city. War seems to be a popular theme for metal albums these days. The album was recorded in Lundemark's own Starstruck Studios, and has an overall good production.
The opener
Warmonger (I wonder if the title refers to a certain Mr. Bush) is a heavy hard pumping track with a groovy feeling all the way. It gives a good picture of the rest of this album. The music is brutal yet very melodic and catchy at the same time. Lundemark's vocals are great, and there are some pretty cool guitar riffs in the song. In the middle of the song there is a riff which sounds exactly like a riff in an old Kim Larsen (Danish pop musician) song. My guess is that this is a coincidence rather than a tribute to good ol' Kim Larsen, but who knows.
One of the best tracks on the album is
The Lions Are Hungry. It is a mid-paced and very heavy track with complex riffs and a I-want-to-head-bang-when-I-hear-this groove throughout the entire song. In the end there is an extra heavy part where Lundemark screams "The Lions Are Hungry". Another strong track is
Fear Of God. It is also a powerful and well composed song with great drums and guitar work.
Reality Check is a nice comeback for
Konkhra who once sat on the Danish death metal throne. They don't climb back onto the throne with this album. Reality Check is not a new Spit Or Swallow, but Lundemark and company deliver a solid performance, and things look promising for the future for
Konkhra. Fans of the old
Konkhra should definitely check this album out. Good work
Konkhra - keep it coming!
Written by
Anders Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Show all reviews by AndersRatingsAnders: 7.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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