Band:	Krux
Album:	III - He Who Sleeps Amongst The Stars
Style:	Doom metal
Release date:	November 2011

01. He Who Sleeps Amongst The Stars
02. The Hades Assembly
03. Emily Payne (And The Black Maze)
04. Small Deadly Curses
05. Prince Azaar And The Invisible Pagoda
06. The Death Farm
07. A Place Of Crows

Krux, doom metal wonder band from Sweden, followed up their sophomore release, simply named II, with III - He Who Sleeps Among The Stars. One thing is for sure, these Swedes sure don't hasten to get their spawns into the world; III - He Who Sleeps Among The Stars came out 5 years after their previous effort. This is reflected in the music. All of Krux's LPs are mature works, being distinct from each other, while still preserving the "Kruxness". This time around, we are treated to a party decidedly less doom than before: this is heavy metal, which spirals around a doom core.

If doom metal is supposed to make you feel the impending doom breathing down your neck, to make you realize just how little and pathetic you are in the face of the infinite pain and suffering of this world, and the meaningless of it all, III - He Who Sleeps Among The Stars fails horribly. The only sequence in here that takes up that thread is the intro to "Prince Azaar And The Invisible Pagonda". Instead, this is a feast of doom-esque, catchy heavy metal riffs and blazing solos, which make it a pretty colorful affair.

There is some experimentation in the vocal department as well. Of course, Levén's trademark meaty vocals are ever present, but we get some competent growls on "The Hades Assembly" as well. Personally, I wish they had implemented them some more, since the vocals can get a tad tedious at times.

Unfortunately, as with all Krux releases, this is not a "All Killer, No Filler" release. "The Hades Assembly" together with the final two songs feels distinctly pale compared to the others. Especially the dip at the end is hard to forgive, since it pushes you to throw something else on you stereo.

Highlights: "Emily Payne (And The Black Maze)" and "Prince Azaar And The Invisible Pagoda"