Review by Alex on May 13, 2019.

Kingdom has returned a year later to make a cleansing sweep of the destruction caused by 2018s Putrescent Remains of the Dead Ground. I could not find words to describe that record; I tried to pretend it was going to be no big deal but i was so wrong. Marked by a brutally honest vocal tone of hatred, a drum attack that hit like a pile of stones and guitars outrageously swinging boulders blindfolded, it took me awhile to find something that could challenge it. Here in 2019 we are met with the same unholy mannerism of Poland’s Kingdom. Residing on Godz ov War Productions, this bunch of death dealers did not take long to return to the killing field equipped with 10 new tracks that come mighty close to overtaking 2018’s effort. Rotting Carcass Arise upon the Burial Mound digs deeper into the veins of Kingdom to extract and expand an essence of their music that has given them such notorious status within the underground. This release can be viewed as a direct continuation of 2016’s effort in many ways. 

The same voluminous vocals return with a hand dipped in a vacuuming guitar and drum a performance that overrides that of Kingdom’s previous release. I was not expecting this record at all, plus given the prior was such a strong offering to the underground and Godz ov War Productions, I did not see the need to put out something that immediately followed and challenged Putrescent Remains of the Dead Ground. Kingdom could have easily ridden out 2019 and 2020 on the momentum of 2016 effort because it was such a well-crafted record. Right now, they almost remind me of Tomb Mold given their habits of releasing competent music on a frequent basis. This record is as praise worthy as the previously mentioned, it’s as if It was recorded a day after Putrescent Remains of the Dead Ground had been. It executes all the little technical twists and turns in the drumming and guitars, the vocal voodoo of Lewan and RMK play dominant roles, and the production is given just as much leeway as needed to aid in the proper execution of the record. 

“Dark Light Rising” offers that mix of cavernous vocals and mid 90s HM2 pedal madness. To some point it even reminds me of early Immolation in the vocal range and tone, I could swear it sounded a bit like Ross Dolan here. I appreciate the way in which the combination of vocal patterns is used particularly in the following track “Świątynia zepsucia” with the death growls coating the black metal snarls to usher in a monsterous clashing of sorts. This is black and death metal juice blended and distributed in a meticulous order. The guitars show contrast in the styles being used, yet at the same time expressing a state of cooperation to accomplish the task at hand. You hear the blast beating of the instrumental track “Zatracony w obłędzie” matched with the melodic tone of the guitars and can’t help to wonder how much of a powerful coven Kingdom have grown to become since their last spell. All songs on Rotting Carcass Arise upon the Burial Mound reflect the efforts of a dedicated bunch of instrumentalists; the drummer plays his part with no bothers as though second nature to himself, guitars take the immediate front and are wrapped with a swelling, pulsing-bass tone to follow. 

What a heavyweight of a record; the new addition to the lineup added another level of invigoration to the music and it shows with pride on tracks like “Dark Light Rising”, “Rotting Carcass Arisen”, “Swiatybia Zepsucia” and “Burial Mound”. Sounds like black metal and death metal rolling around in a muddy pit of tremolo riffing and HM2 distorted licks and leads. Although I was content with the production on Kingdom’s prior effort, it's a step up from Putrescent Remains of the Dead Ground that sounded a bit less bassy where the instrumentation is concerned. Good move, as now Rotting Carcass Arise upon the Burial Mound has a heightened guitar presence which sounds more dominating on this occasion. I sort of miss those semi-Antti Boman gutturals, but it's not a big deal, given the record still sounds heavier and more sinister than before. This is definitely a must have of 2019, now I have to be on the lookout; Kingdom may put out another next year or even this year.

Rating: 9 out of 10