Lord Vicar
Signs Of Osiris

Kimi Karki is a name that has managed to carve out a certain notoriety and a good dose of respect and veneration from a small legion of fans in the European doom underground. It is the name of the founder of Reverend Bizarre, a seminal act of infernal and lengthy doom that has recently decided to "cease fire." But he is also the musician who decided to give life to two other important projects: Lord Vicar, another band of Scandinavian doom metal, slightly more accessible compared to the Reverend, and Orne, which has completely different coordinates: we are indeed talking about a seventies-influenced progressive rock.

Two more projects with which Karki has established himself, particularly with Lord Vicar, the band that seems to be the worthy continuation of Reverend Bizarre. Abrasive doom with substantial lengths, captivating rhythms laced with a bit of stoner here and there and lyrics also related to the Reverend: topics range from antiquity to history, religion, and the occult. A mix in full doom style.

The adventure with Lord Vicar began in 2008, with the release of the first album, "Fear no pain," welcomed favorably by both critics and fans. Three years later, (October 2011), Karki released the second studio album, "Signs of Osiris." It is inevitable to compare it with the previous work, which turns out to be superior (and not by a little) to this SOO. The style remains the same as in the past, with Karki's six-string guitar reigning and the voice of Chritus (ex-Count Raven and Saint Vitus), weaving the dark, absorbing web of these four Swedes.

Those expecting a work oriented towards oriental tones (as the title would suggest) will be disappointed. The platter in question is a classic doom metal CD, halfway between the early Candlemass, the rawness of some stoner bands, and the magical influence of the Reverend. A powerful yet somewhat unoriginal amalgam: precisely where the true weakness of the album lies. In "Fear no pain," unoriginality coincided with a fairly high quality of the tracks, but this "Signs of Osiris" merely recycles its predecessor's riffs, assembling in a new work what had already been done. It’s no coincidence that songs like "The answer" and "Child witness" have little to say, stuck on a not very decisive riffing. Another negative point of the CD is the voice of Christian "Chritus" Lindersson, less inspired than usual and too monotonous. Luckily, the last two tracks of the album are of a completely different caliber compared to the general quality preceding them: "Endless November" is noted for a melancholic arpeggio, upon which a poignant song is built, an atypical and interesting folk ballad, while the concluding "Sign of Osiris risen" is the classic closing suite by Karki: changes of atmosphere, slowdowns, metallic hits, everything expected from a band like Lord Vicar.

Overall, a sufficient work, but compared to "Fear no pain," it's a step back.

1. "Sign Of Osiris Slain" (6:28)
2. "The Answer" (4:15)
3. "Child Witness" (9:22)
4. "Between The Blue Temple And The North Tower" (9:31)
5. "Sinking City" (6:40)
6. "Endless November" (7:06)
7. "Sign Of Osiris Risen" (14:56)