Very much in line with the bulk of the distortion-happy Seventh Rule roster (Black Cobra, Wetnurse, Millions, etc.), Sweden’s Kongh play it by the book
on this five song offering, Shadows of the Shapeless. Taking cues from Yob (which is probably the best form of reference), the trio pull out the now-standard elongated jams to mostly successful effect, although some brevity might do these guys a favour.
As is the case with most bands of this ilk, there’s nothing all that memorable to what Kongh is doing. Since their riffs and arrangements are consistent with YOB and friends, Kongh runs into a little too familiar territory throughout this near hour-long effort. Save for some booming riff exercises from guitarist David Johansen (who also handles vocal duties), it’s a lot of what we’ve already heard before coming out of the doom field, although the spacious free-flow of “Essence Asunder” ranks as a definitive highlight.
Perhaps no style apes itself more than doom metal and releases like Shadows of the Shapeless have become the norm. However, this stuff is mightily heavy and the band’s songs don’t come across as tedious and trying as say, Minsk or Serpentcult. As such, for a band with just a few releases behind it, there could be some time to develop into something new, but we won’t count on it.
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)