Poland’s heavier progressive outfit Votum are back on the scene, releasing a new atmospheric piece in ‘Ktonik‘.

[tracklist]
01. Satellite
02. Greed
03. Spiral
04. Blackened Tree
05. Simulacra
06. Prometheus
07. Horizontal
08. Vertical
09. Last Word
[/tracklist]

[details]
[record_label]Inner Wound Recordings[/record_label]
[release_date]February 26th 2016[/release_date]
[/details]

It seems every metal band that comes out of Poland these days is pure gold. Some of the world’s biggest death metal bands such as Behemoth and Decapitated continually impress album after album, and prog outfit Riverside have continually gained traction worldwide. We look at the lesser known side of Poland’s prog scene in Votum, who have built quite the cult following after performing with bands such as Opeth, Korn, Katatonia and other big names. This time around the band are offering us ‘Ktonik‘, promising to be another array of atmospheric progressive pieces that soothe the soul and charge the mind.

With the opening ‘Satellite‘, the music does just that. Some atmospheric keyboard pieces pulsating in the right places, building up to some chugging riffs over mid-tempo drum work. It’s the first two tracks that define what ‘Ktonik‘ is offering here, a certain take on the sound that British legends Anathema started. While influences are evident, the album is nowhere near a carbon copy of atmospheric classics like ‘Judgement‘.

It’s tracks like ‘Spiral‘ that are demonstrating the Votum’s skill of progressive musicianship, building off of a sci-fi sound in the opening and progressing into some off-signature riffing, maintaining the core value of atmosphere throughout. The album is diverse in sound yet remarkably consistent, with the tracklisting diving into polar extremes such as the soft ballad of ‘Blackened Tree‘ and the top heavy ‘Prometheus‘.

The album is atmospheric enough however to be one of those metal albums that one could simply relax to with tempos never venturing beyond the mid-range. The brilliance I find in ‘Ktonik‘ is that it is progressive music that is not overly complex like so much of music in this genre is. It’s a piece that could be easily listened to by a broad spectrum of music fans with something to admire in every track. If you’re looking for that end of day album, look no further than ‘Ktonik‘!

[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]A less complex atmospheric approach to progressive metal that rewards fans with an easier listen. A wind-down album that is very enjoyable at the right time of day.[/why]