Kragrowargkomn. Tma (2020). Review. Darkness, slowly, unfolding into darkness.

Kragrowargkomn (it's a one man band) says: "As such, darkness does not exist — it is merely a lack or absence of light. Abstract phenomena such as darkness or void are here and known to us, but we can never really perceive them. Where there is an absence of harmony, euthymia, and melody, there is plenty of space for creeping doom rumbling, industrial bustle, and black metal dissonance turning music into a rough noise mass."

Yes, you can call this music "a rough noise mass". Not an easy listening, though, but it rewards. The songs, of course, are quite lengthy, but not boring at all (if you are not a fan of AC/DC, though). It reminds me of classical WINTER a bit, and of SUNN O))) sometimes, but Kragrowargkomn has its own unique style, which is much slower and heavier. 

Names of tracks leave big space for thinking / dark meditation while listening:

1.Tma [field recording by Murmer] 20:17
    
2.Ruch 16:24
    
3.Spad 08:12
   
4.Tlak [feat. El Muflono] 07:39
    
5.Hmyzy [feat. El Muflono] 02:33
    
6.Hluk [live in Tinta Social (HU) 2018] 05:51

The music, speaking about "rush", "fallout", "pressure", "insects", "noise" and "darkness" (if I translated the names of the tracks correctly), is convincing. Do expect darkness, which slowly evolves in to nothing else, but the same darkness... Which, as it was said, doesn't exist...

One of the strongest experimental albums I've heard.

As we see, Tma touches one of the main philosophical and cosmological questions about "eternal" or "primordial" darkness / light, probably beyond categories of "evil/good".

You can listen to it on digipak CD, cassette or on bandcamp (https://urbsounds.bandcamp.com/album/tma).

Slovak label Urbsounds (https://urbsounds.bandcamp.com), which has released this album says about itself: We collaborate with artists who focus their attention on desolated parts of society and reflect it in a challenging way. There are scars all over this dystopian sprawl we are living in. Urbsounds is collecting the grime that oozes from the wounds, using this fluid to fuel the pressing of vinyl LPs and the coding of digital releases.  

Videoclip and photos for Tma were made in famous place in northern Lithuania, called Hill of Crosses (Kryžių kalnas). Once, it attracted attention by cult neofolk band Sol Invictus, now you can see unique shooting in Tma.

Could this be a hint? Tma (darkness, void, gloom...) in our heart, belief, world? In Christian, Catholic world. Hill of Crosses is a place which KGB tried to destroy for year. It survived. With people thankful to God bringing their thousands of crosses into one place.

Listen to the album once more. Don't hurry to have all the secrets coming out very fast. But they will. It's the music with inner surprises. Somebody could call this magic. I will just leave myself to the magically sounding Slovak word (which you might understand if you speak almost any Slavic language) Tma.

Summarizing it all, the album has a strong philosophical, cosmological side as well as great, impressive music and interesting visual side. It feels that the album was made not perfunctory, but with deepest insights. Will wait for the second opus of Kragrowargkomn.

Also, some details should be mentioned. All tracks composed and recorded by Kragrowargkomn + featured artists (soundcloud.com/kragrowargkomn). All tracks recorded in Room420 / Bratislava / Slovakia except track 06 'Hluk' - recorded live in 'Tinta Social'. Field recordings in tracks 01 and 05 by Murmer (www.murmerings.com). Mixing / Digital Mastering and analog pre-master by Kragrowargkomn && Rusty Wizzard Records (facebook.com/Rustywizzardrecords).

Cover design and photography: Elvis Fledermaus (facebook.com/michalmaros.mmphotography).

Kragrowargkomn ealier was known as G#. Since 2015 it was playing pure loud drone / doom with his 6 string bassguitar and lot of overdrived amps. Nowadays, renamed to Kragrowargkomn, enhancing his funeral / drone doom roots with dirty toxic industrial sound.