GURKKHAS - OATHS CARVED IN THE SHADOW OF THE KUKRI

GURKKHAS - OATHS CARVED IN THE SHADOW OF THE KUKRI

Country: France
Year: 2026
Label: Underground Syndicate Records

GURKKHAS is a French death metal band, and ''Oaths Carved in the Shadow of the Kukri'' brings together their first two albums, ''Engraved in Blood, Flesh and Souls'' from 2000 and ''A Life of Suffering'' from 2001. If you like old-school death metal, you will probably find plenty to enjoy here. The band keeps things simple, with heavy riffs, deep vocals, fast drums and a raw production that fits the period very well. The first album is probably the more direct of the two. Songs like “Gurkkhas at War,” “Blood and Hate” and “Atrocity” are built around straightforward death metal riffs and a good amount of aggression. There is nothing overly technical here, and that is not really the point. The songs are simple, heavy and easy to get into. On ''A Life of Suffering'', the band sounds a little more confident and the songs have more room to develop. “Tears of Blood,” “Legacy” and “The Day of Battle” are good examples of this, while “Kukri”, at over seven minutes, stands out because of its longer structure. The production is another important part of the release. It has that early-2000s underground death metal sound, without trying to make everything too clean. The remaster gives the albums a better overall sound while keeping their original character. The main problem is that, with 18 tracks and more than 70 minutes of music, things can become a little repetitive after a while. GURKKHAS have a clear style and they stick to it, so you are not going to find a lot of variety here. Still, if you enjoy old-school death metal and like discovering bands from the European underground of that era, ''Oaths Carved in the Shadow of the Kukri'' is worth checking out. It is a solid collection of two early GURKKHAS albums and a good reminder of the kind of death metal that was coming out of the underground around 2000. And also, boys & girls, don't forget to read an interview that we have with GURKKHAS HERE.

By Steve the Filthy Dog.

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