Craving - Call of the Sirens

Angry Metal Guy 60

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is warned by the goddess Circe that when he sails near the island of the Sirens, he will not be able to resist their call. But resist it he must in order to pass safely by. For the Sirens lured unsuspecting sailors to their deaths by the rocky cliffs, and the same fate awaited Odysseus and his men. He ordered his crew to plug their ears with beeswax and to tie him to the mast. They were instructed to ignore his instructions to release him, no matter how desperate. They did as they were told and when the call of the Sirens was heard, Odysseus—the mightiest of the Greeks—begged and pleaded to be released to join them. His crew tightened the chains and sailed on to safety. Which brings us to Call of the Sirens, the fourth album from German black metallers, Craving. Naming an album after the irresistible voices of half-bird, half-women meanies is intriguing. Is this an album you will capitulate to completely? Or will it dash your hopes like waves on jagged rocks?

Let’s back up a bit. Craving have been around since 2006, managing to fly under just about everyone’s collective radars. After the release of their third album in 2016, the band basically split, leaving guitarist and vocalist Ivan Chertov to reform things. Which (surprise!) he did. Although you’d be hard-pressed to notice, given the band’s aesthetic has barely changed over the years. Craving play an entertaining blend of hyper-melodic black metal, mixed with folk and more than a hint of power metal. The occasional strained, operatic vocals invoke wisps of Fleshgod Apocalypse, as does the grandiose nature of the songs. That’s quite the smorgasbord! Fortunately, Craving are no n00bs, and the listener is in good hands.

Call of the Sirens by Craving

What’s cool about Call of the Sirens is that Craving commits fully to the overblown aesthetic, with nary a hint of the self-referential silliness of, say, a band like Alestorm (who veer too frequently into self-parody for my liking). Best of all, despite taking the material seriously, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun. Craving aren’t here to waste your time and launch straight into things with “Mich Pacht Die Wut,” which brings a bunch of Craving staples that are repeated throughout the album: furious blast-beat drumming, catchy melodies, and additional sound effects to lend it a folksy air. It all works a treat, and assuming you have a pulse, you’ll find yourself tapping that foot and nodding that head while you pretend to work. The quality is maintained throughout, and it’s arguable that the second half, with bangers like “Blood ov Franconia” and the awesomely titled, “Gods Don’t Negotiate,” is slightly stronger. Special kudos must go out to the drummer, Wanjer Gröger, who is a beast behind the kit and provides much of the propulsion that drives these tracks.

A few minor issues hold it back, however. Despite being a blast to listen to, I found I didn’t remember much once it had ended. I think this is for a few reasons. Firstly, there is no standout banger that absolutely sinks its hooks into you. Almost every song is good, but none are outright great. Secondly, the folksy catchiness of it all is, like a stick of bubble gum, delicious but not particularly long-lasting. Which is to say, a lot of this material tickles the eardrums, but not much worms its way into my heart. This is perhaps unfair, given that Craving are not aiming for hardcore profundity. But when you listen to a lot of music, the stuff that sticks is the stuff that makes you feel. The two final songs—covers not appearing on all issues—are oddly out of place and best ignored.

Call of the Sirens is a blast that fans of melodic black metal will thoroughly enjoy. It’s catchy without cloying, it’s melodic without being weightless, and it doesn’t waste any of your time. It may not stick around when you’re done, but plenty of relationships focus on being a good time, not a long time. If the seriousness of avant-garde hokiness, or dissodeath seriousness, has you pining for songs to creak that neck and flex those socks, well, Call of the Sirens isn’t irresistible, but it sure won’t lead you onto any disastrous rocks.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Massacre Records
Website: cravingofficial.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: May 19th, 2023

The post Craving – Call of the Sirens Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.