THE BEAST

Kromheim - Journey To Divinity - Reviewed & Interviewed By obliveon ! Check it out here at this link: https://obliveon.de/review/kromheim-journey-to-divinity/

The guys from KROMHEIM come from England's capital. KROMHEIM was originally a solo project founded in Poland's capital Warsaw in 2020. It is now a trio consisting of Mikołaj Popławski (guitars, vocals), Duncan Arkley (bass) and Sot (guitars). The trio is to become a quartet in the near future as the band lacks a drummer. KROMHEIM are influenced by Dark Tranquillity, Hypocrisy, Insomnium and mainly by the Viking Metallers of Amon Amarth, which also suits their lyrical subject matter, which is based on Nordic Viking culture. Following their self-titled 4-track EP “Kromheim” from 2020, they will release their first long-player “Journey To Divinity” on February 17th, which will be released digitally and also on CD (limited to 100 copies).

Mikołaj Popławski was responsible for the songwriting and recording of guitars, vocals and synths, while the mix and mastering was done by Tim at Modern Nihilism Recordings. The drums were recorded by Krzysztof Klingbein and the beautiful, harmonious artwork was penned by Pantelis Politakos.

A deep rumble along with sawing guitars and heavy bass opens the debut record “Journey To Divinity”. The very first song, 'War', hits like the berserker's war-axe in the head of his opponent. The powerful style also continues with 'The Landing', 'World Reborn' comes around the corner a bit slower and more effectively, but 'Sword And Soul' is back on top of the twelve. The vocal style is unusual at first, because the lyrics often come across as a bit delayed or choppy, and that in each of the eight songs. I think the fluently sung passages are really good and I think that a balanced distribution of the vocal technique would be beneficial to make the songs more dynamic. Through '1000 Lives' we get to 'Final Arrow', that reminds me a bit of Manowar at the start - when the boys still had a bite. "Fists up" and going off is the motto here as well as in 'Brothers In Arms (No More)'. The last song 'Journey To Divinity' hits with a total of eight minutes and combines fast Death Metal with calm passages.

With “Journey To Divinity” KROMHEIM release a solid debut, which I like unreservedly from a musical point of view. The vocal style mentioned, which slows down the dynamics a bit, could be made more dynamic during rehearsals and test whether the atmosphere is lifted and the lyrics are more explosive. Because the passages that are sung (more) fluently are really fun and I celebrate them vigorously. Genre fans should definitely check out “Journey To Divinity” and the guys' EP is also recommended.

Tobi Stahl awards 7 out of 10 points - obliveon

On February 17th the first album of the band KROMHEIM from London will be released. Unfortunately there are only three of them at the moment and they are looking for a drummer. Our review of “Journey To Divinity” is coming soon, which I'm allowed to talk about today with singer and guitarist Mikolaj, who has agreed to answer my questions.

Hello Mikolaj (vocals/guitar) from KROMHEIM. Today I would like to talk to you about your upcoming album “Journey To Divinity” but first I would like to know how you are doing and what the weather is like in London.

Hello Tobi! Thank you for taking the time for an interview! We're great, everything is going according to plan for the album release later this week (17th February 2023 via www.kromheim.bandcamp.com) - and believe it or not, the weather is surprising here in London at the moment nice!

What does your band name mean and how did it come about? Where does your enthusiasm for the Scandinavians come from?

Kromheim is the name of a fictional village I came up with for the story of the first EP. At that moment I also realized that it would be a great name for the project as it's quite a unique sounding band name.

As for your second question - it really comes down to the music I grew up with. It was bands like Hypocrisy, Amon Amarth and Dark Tranquility that shaped my taste in music in the early years.

I always give my interviewees a chance to introduce themselves and their bandmates so our readers know who you are and who plays what instrument in the band.

Of course! We are KROMHEIM, a three-piece melodic death metal band from London formed in 2020 (originally in Warsaw, Poland). Our music mainly deals with Norse, Viking Age and Medieval themes. KROMHEIM was originally founded as a solo project by me in 2020 and that's when I released my first self-titled 4-track EP. It was actually a project for me to release some of my songs that I wrote as a teenager and the Covid lockdown felt like a good time to do so.

A lot of people seemed to like the EP so I decided to release a full LP titled 'Journey To Divinity' which will be released on February 17th, 2023. A few months ago I also invited my former bandmates Duncan (bass guitar) and Sotiris (electric guitar) to join the band.

In fact, we are currently looking for a drummer!
Is it true that you don't have a drummer in the line-up? If so, are you actively looking for one?

Yes we are indeed still looking to complete the line up and as you can imagine drummers are always in demand. But we also want to find the right person for the job, so we won't rush things either. Once we have the full line up we can start with some local gigs in London. For the album itself we hired Krzysztof Klingbein to record the drums.

You have released one EP so far. What is “Kromheim” about and where can you get the 4 track EP?

As already mentioned, Kromheim was the name of the main protagonist's village that you can see on the cover of the EP. The EP tells us how the village was invaded by an unknown enemy, plundered and the inhabitants captured. During their captivity, the main hero finally hatches plans for revenge and a possible escape across the sea.

Of course, in addition to all the important streaming platforms, there are also a few copies of the limited edition of the EP on our Bandcamp page (www.kromheim.bandcamp.com).

Let's take a closer look at “Journey To Divinity”. What do you think about telling us something about each song in some kind of liner notes, please?

Of course!

'was'

'War' was our second single and is one of the up-tempo songs on the album, trying to depict the chaos on the battlefield.

'The Landing'

This was our first single for this album and the inspiration for this song was the first raids on the Saxon coasts.

'World Reborn'

This was our third and final single and this song is about the end of the world and of humanity and the subsequent rebirth of the world.

´Sword and Soul´

One of our songs with a longer structure that takes a look at the medieval feudal system, ie the relationship between servants and their lords.

'1000 Lives'

'1000 Lives' is about how clans have to band together and bury old grudges in order to defeat an army that stands on their doorstep.

'Last Arrow'

This is one of our slower songs on the CD and is about the loss of a friend who died honorably in battle but is still missed.

´Brothers In Arms (No More)´

This fast-paced song tells the story of two brothers who used to fight side by side but now find themselves fighting each other.

´Journey To Divinity´

This is the last and longest song on the album - it's about the final journey of a man who climbs a mountain to get closer to his gods and their divinity.

I like the older Amon Amarth material!
Do you also have a favorite song?

That's a bit of a tough question, but if I had to choose, I'd choose either 'War' because it's extremely fun to play, or 'Journey To Divinity' because that was the song I was working on worked the most to give the right atmosphere.

Which Viking Metal band influences you the most and which bands do you listen to in your spare time?

As far as Viking bands go, definitely the older Amon Amarth material ie everything before “With Oden On Our Side” was my favorite music when I was a teenager and a lot of Bathory from earlier days has my imagination for this world spurred on - and definitely Wulfgar lately. As for the main bands I've listened to over the last few years they are Hypocrisy, 1914, Dissection and Septicflesh.

You probably know Leave's Eyes and their bandleader Alexander Krull. He regularly takes part in Viking meetings and show fights. How much do you live the Viking lifestyle?

I have to admit I didn't know this band... And as for the Viking lifestyle - I actually much prefer reading about history (and history in general is something I enjoy) and learning about Norse mythology. As far as Viking meetings and battles go, I've never had the chance to take part in them, but I imagine it's a great experience, so who knows, maybe one day!

Viking history is closely intertwined with England, and the Scandinavians were not exactly squeamish when they invaded England. Isn't it hard to sing about?

Interesting point, and my first thought would be that this gory part of the story is so far in the past that people don't have particularly strong feelings about it (compared to WWII). Also, KROMHEIM doesn't necessarily aim to depict actual Viking/Saxon historical events or even certain parts of mythology - there are many bands already doing that. For us it's more about general Norse and medieval themes which then leaves it up to the listener to interpret the songs and ultimately enjoy this form of 'Viking/Medieval escapism'.

Where do you see KROMHEIM in five years?

I'd love to give you a more detailed answer, but when I think about it, a few years ago I only had four songs and a band name, and now two and a half years later we have some amazing fans who are really interested in our next release. I really don't know what the next 5 years will bring, but I'm definitely looking forward to it! But I'd definitely like to have a few more releases in the bag and some nice touring memories by then.

Are there any tour plans? Plans for another album?

Once the line up is finalized we will start with some local gigs in and around London, possibly followed by a UK tour. And yes, we will definitely start working on the next album in a few months once we have had a well-deserved break after this release.

If you're into melodic death, you've come to the right place.
Would you like to leave some greetings to our readers, your future listeners?

Yes, of course! I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time for this interview Tobi and to everyone reading this - if you're into Melodic Death Metal then chances are you'll like a song or two like it, so don't hesitate to board the Kromheim ship!

Last but not least, I would like to say a big shout out and thank you to all of our fans who have supported us over the past few years. Having such a great community makes this musical experience 1000 times more worth it!

Thanks to you all!

Nice closing words dear Mikolaj. Thank you for the interview and good luck and success for your album.

Interview: Tobi Stahl
Photocredit: Promo

obliveon

Release Date: 17th of February 2023

FFO: Amon Amarth, Insomnium, Hypocrisy

Location: London, UK

Short Bio: Kromheim is a three-piece melodic death metal band based in London, United Kingdom - established in 2020, it originally was a solo project from Warsaw, Poland. Kromheim draws its influences mostly from Scandinavian bands such as Hypocrisy, Insomnium, Amon Amarth or Dark Tranquillity. While the project's style is heavily rooted in the Gothenburg sound, one of the main aims was to bring back more 'death' to this 'melodic death metal' sound. The lyrical themes are mostly centred around Norse/Viking culture. On the 17th of February 2023 Kromheim will release their first LP entitled 'Journey To Divinity' and it will feature 8 songs.

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Follow the band here at these links:

https://www.instagram.com/kromheimofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/kromheim
https://kromheim.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/kromheimofficial