Cavernous Whirlwind Atmosphere: Cruda Sorte - Nekrolog

The sky turns to ash and a noise ruptures from a deep black cloud that hangs just below the ground. A rumble and a lowering blocks out natural light. Tree roots rip, trees are picked up and trees are swallowed up by a swirling haze of sky and lightening. Roaring and throbbing with maniacal violence, the skies mouth gnaws away at the earth, stripping it down to a bony carcass. Dust and dry mud withers as lightening whiplashes and scolds the surface. Quivering: the earth bleeds and moans as its pores seep clay. The oceans ignore the moon's power and flee - retreating into caves and mountains. But mountains implode and craters  eat villages. An eye breaks through the cloud, its sulfurous pupil pours oil tears and drowns the land with a molten surf that melts cities. A hand reaches out and cups the earth, it closes and crushes the earth to a marble. Panning out: the figure places the shrunken, withered earth into a pocket with many others like it. Clattering against the others: a collection. On to the next planet, cruising the cosmic boundlessness with a reckless freedom, adding planets to his pockets like acorns to a basket.

Cruda Sorte are ominous and foreboding. Formed in Berlin in 2005 they play a tortured and intense black metal; raw, vulnerable howls fade into the swirling maelstrom of textured, almost orchestra like, guitar sounds and asteroid-heavy drumming.  'Necrologia', a track off their second album - Nekrolog - which was released on New Year's Day. conveys 'Cruda Sorte', Italian for 'cruel destiny', with their hopeless sounding intensity, reminiscent of fellow German's Bethlehem and  the Swedish Shining.  The track succeeds in two ways: it's intensely heavy, instrument lead black metal with an an ambient, atmospheric undertone, and it works to great effect. It's a vast, vibrating, sinew shattering song that channels slow, cavernous doom sentiments with a pummeling energy. Cruda Sorte are no frills, what they lack in aesthetic flamboyancy they make up for in their intense, well-constructed, captivating music.