Rating: 7/10
Release: 23 November 2012
Label: Massacre Records

Adorned Brood. A band which is already playing since 1993, but has never been better than the mediocrity. Al 7 studio-albums weren’t more than just ‘nice’. Good to listen to for a while, but never more than that. Could Adorned Brood, with their 8th record, finally leave the stage of mediocrity, and improve themselves in such a way they could compete with the more popular bands of the genre?
While ‘Kuningaz’ is a great step towards the right direction, I don’t think this record would mean the breakthrough of Adorned Brood. What we get is harsh, solid folk-metal, with raw clean vocals in German and English, usual melodic guitar riffs, completed with flute melodies.
The songs are catchy in general. Compared to older work, Kuningaz is a bit more brutal, and sometimes even influences from Thrash or –core could be recognized. However, typical folk-metal still dominates on this record. Naming a band which sounds similar to Adorned Brood, I would name a band like Varg, or maybe even Svartsot. While these bands share similarities, it doesn’t really cover the typical musical style of Adorned Brood.
Kuningaz is a step in the right direction, especially compared to the mediocre work they used to deliver. It’s easy to listen to, and the songs are composed quite decently. However, I remain to ask myself wether this band could ever meet with the qualitative better releases of other bands. Descent record, but nothing more than that.

Tracklist

1. Einkehr
2. Kuningaz
3. My Tranquility
4. Victory or Valhall
5. Hugin
6. We’re Men
7. Kreuzes Last
8. Just a Fight
9. Munin
10. A War Poem
11. We Are Legion
12. Wigand 2012 (Bonus Track)