There is an unsettling element pervading, First Prophecy, a record standing as an early, “complete recordings” offering from Minneapolis doom/black metal bad, Ulkum. Combining three stripped down, rehearsal tracks from January 2017’s, “Demonstration” with three more polished album quality tracks gathered on last October’s release (of the same name as this one) the sum is as unconventional as it is a gutturally satisfying taste.
First Prophecy opens with the nearly fifteen minute track, “Clothed In The Ashes Of Fallen Brethren” that rises ominously out of intro silence on a single strummed guitar, backed with swirling, ghostly ambience, lasting about three minutes. Then the ghoulish vocals from Joshua James Ans drag up from the tomb, growling and snarling like some kind of upstaged demon. Eventually the track explodes into frenzied black metal, vocals desperation increasing, instrumentation rising to the brink of death, a tempo that bleeds over into “Breathe Darkness, Swallow Light” the shortest but stiffest of the initial three. Finally, all the sounds of First Prophecy converge into “Children of Ulkim” the finale filled with over eleven minutes of dominating riffs, blown out into a massive, crushing sound, over which an invigorating, almost soulful guitar solo carries out what is, in the end, a merciful obliteration. These tracks were recorded live for The Root Of All Evil, but on the album, they feel well orchestrated and technically sound.
As dank and fetid as the tomb that spawned them, the three Demonstration tracks provide a glimpse of doom metal in its most embryonic and raw form. The recordings are definitely of a basement quality, but they show an immensely talented band picking its sound out of the ossuary of metal convention. There is no polish; there are only a series of black jams. My favorite of these three (which are best absorbed together) is “II” which features fantastic guitar leads, tinged with a layer of hiss and feedback. Overall, while I feel that First Prophecy represents Ulkum well, it comes off as incomplete as an album. The “Rehearsal” tracks are terrific, but don’t round out the band’s repertoire. They could have demonstrated more progression and offer a better-rounded sound.
Make no bones about it though this release is a pretty good omen. For my taste, Ulkum definitely sets itself apart as an up and coming doom/black metal band.
