Another step into the unknown for me is with French quintet The Great Old Ones and their new album Kadath. Their name is familiar, having been around since 2009 in the extremities of the Post-Black Metal genre, but I will freely admit having only dabbled with the odd track as it appeared on various streaming playlists.
The Great Old Ones – Kadath (Season Of Mist)
Release Date: 24 January 2025
Words: Paul Hutchings
Kadath is their first album in six years, the longest break between releases. As one would imagine, The Great Old Ones lurk in the shadows of everything Lovecraftian, and this album sees a return to the world created over 100 years ago. Kadath is a mountain crowned by an onyx castle and the home of the dream gods of Earth. The album sees The Great Old Ones move from the oceanic depths of previous releases into the Dreamlands.
“It is here that we follow the protagonist, Randolph Carter,” the band say, “as he seeks the fabled city that haunts his visions. The album resonates with his longing and determination, embodying the treacherous path he treads amidst the capricious gods and monstrous entities that dwell within this twilight realm.”
If, like me, you have only scratched the surface of HP Lovecraft’s work, this is likely to mean little. Is it, therefore, possible to take the album at face value and assess it for content and delivery without in-depth knowledge of Lovecraft’s enigmatic universe?
Well, yes, that’s the case with this review, so for those whose knowledge exceeds ours, then apologies in advance for the no-doubt jarring errors that are likely.
The first thing to note is that the songs are long. There is one track, the one-minute long The Gathering, that bridges two other songs. But otherwise, we are looking at large, expansive pieces of work that see The Great Old Ones combine as a unit, organic and dynamic, and always a ferocious ball of fiery aggression.
Nowhere is this more instantly noted than in the opening track, Me, The Dreamer. A bombastic and extreme 11-minute song, it is a frighteningly powerful introduction to the album, which instantly transports the listener to another place as the story unfolds.
Five minutes of crashing riffs erupt before the band ease off the acceleration, drifting into a haunting and unsettling section which slowly builds with the impact of an unguarded fire. Savage and crushing parts soon return, with banks of riffing guitar work adding texture and depth to the song, which is marked by Benjamin Guerry’s gruff and sinister vocals. The depth of the song is impressive, and at just shy of 11 minutes, it is a huge opening track.
The darkness of the subject matter is conveyed throughout the eight songs that make up this 72-minute epic. We follow the hunt as Carter progresses with his journey.
The dual guitar work of Aurélien Edouard and Alexandre Rouleau is spinetingling, be it in the frenzied visceral riffing, or the delicate picking that shapes tracks like Those From Ulthar. Following the lyrics is helpful, for though Guerry’s delivery is decipherable, there are times when his enunciation is savage enough to leave you confused.
The overall delivery is majestic, with huge sweeping movements that are both compelling and driving with a power that suggests that live, The Great Old Ones must be an irresistible force.
There are elements of terror and fantasy which combine within the band’s narrative, dropping from dark, melancholic places and enveloping the listener in an uncomfortable fog that swirls around. There are shimmering banks of guitars and blast beats galore, thanks to drummer Julian Deana, whose performance here is incredibly solid throughout.
The delicate interlude The Gathering provides the deep breath before the plunge into the centrepiece of the entire album.
The huge 15-minute instrumental Leng is, in all honesty, going to take some beating to better as an individual piece throughout 2025.
It is a cohesive, flowing soundscape which progresses at pace, crashing cymbals and angular guitar work resonating in a hypnotic delivery that melds the rawness of Black Metal with a more progressive and Post-Metal stance. It captures the odyssey that Carter undertakes in a way that many bands would not be able to even comprehend.
As with other tracks, there are ethereal passages that cool the raging fires, and so it is with Leng. A mid-movement calm is slowing, shattered by huge riffs. More Doom Metal in nature, but an added dose of tremolo riffing provides more accelerant to a ferocious increase in tempo.
It is difficult to describe the emotions that this track fires up, but it’s a rollercoaster of a ride that is astonishing in breadth and complexity.
The final two tracks are no less intense. Astral Void (The End Of The Dream) is another meandering, bruising song. No short piece either at just under nine minutes in length, here the story concludes, and Carter arrives at the castle to encounter a terrifying vision.
“You, Randolph Carter have braved all things of earth’s dreamland
And burn still with the flame of Quest.
So, Randolph Carter, in the name of the Other Gods
I spare you to serve my will
For I am Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos”.
We then experience one final intoxication as Second Rendez-Vous spins out the final moments, well, all 12 of them, to be precise, in a blistering and compelling conclusion to a quite phenomenal album.
Kadath is the latest chapter in The Great Old Ones “unyielding quest to explore the outer margins of reality and imagination. An invitation to journey beyond the familiar, into a world of cosmic dread and awe-inspiring beauty, where the ancient gods still roam and dreams bleed into reality”.
It is truly something special.
Already a contender for one of the best extreme albums of 2025, this is a piece of art in its truest form. And whilst I may not be in sync with the themes on the album yet, it is something that has already swept me up and demands I dive deeper into the band and their subject matter.
