Korpius – Shades of Black (2011)

Did somebody ordered a 40 minute session of brutal Death/Black Metal? if your answer is yes, then you should definitely check out Korpius and their crushing debut album “Shades of Black” out on Maple Metal records. With a crystal clear production and engaging songs, “Shades of Black” is by far the most brutal release we have received from Canadian lands this 2011.

Crushing their way through nine tracks this Canadian foursome does a great job in keeping things brutal and straight forward. All riffs in this album a very meaty and have tons of ‘traditional’ DM hooks that will keep fans satisfied for endless hours. The drumming is also massive and the vocals are as inhuman as you can get. Both the growls and the shrieks that go into Grindcore territory at times are very well balanced to give enough power to this release.

Since the opening track “Shades of Black”, the band is out for destruction with a crushing combination of powerful guitars and brutal drumming. Besides the brutality behind the music, the band adds nice Groove elements that provide for some epic melodic sections like on “On the Edge” and “Fury”. The changes between straight up DM to solos and back to brutality on tracks like “Awaking Terror” and “Six Feet Deep” are very well designed to keep things interesting and never linear.

The melodic sections of tracks like “Disillusion” and “The Final Charge” prove that the band is not a one-trick pony and they can craft more intricate elements into their already very dynamic song structures. The use of growls and shrieks never gets predictable and both greatly enhance the harshness of the band’s music.

If you are looking for a very well crafted and brutal album, be sure to check out “Shades of Black”. Korpius makes a very convincing debut release and we will surely be looking out for them in the near future.

Release: March 21st, 2011

Country: Canada