King Apathy

King Apathy (formerly Thränenkind): Wounds

Lifeforce Records; February 22nd, 2019

The music is generally slow and midtempo, with some chugging and with melodies present. The overall sound is mellow, melodic and slow, a catchy type of downtempo; easy to understand and enjoy. On occasion they speed up, but it’s not the norm.

The big contrast to the instrumentation comes in the form of the hardcore punk scream-shout growling. This is the only type of vocals on the album for 97% of the time. The vocals are generally on the harsher, abrasive side. The vocals might make you think that the music is extreme, noisy stuff, but the fact is that the music is rather melodic, mellow and memorable, but decidedly not upbeat and not joyful nor cheery. It’s music that is unhappy, but it is done so well that the listener can find a certain type of reluctant joy that comes from said style.

The band is a left-wing pro-environmentalist type of political entity, and so the lyrics are going to be important for the fans who agree politically, but it’s not like you can understand what the vocalist is growling. For instance, I do not have the lyrics and I have not been able to understand the words, maybe a few here and there.

There are three questions to be answered. First, would you like to hear and get into some slow and melancholic music? Second, do you like this type of vocals; are you willing to give the vocals a chance or are you against hardcore shout-growling? Third, is the left-wing politics going to be a problem for you?; are you opposed or in favor of bands using their music to promote a perspective of environmentalism? These Germans do know exactly what they are doing with their music. They do it very well. It is convincing.

facebook.com/KingApathyMetal