Subtlety isn’t a word in Rorcal’s vocabulary, and the follow-up to 2013’s Világvége is a fiery, apocalyptic concept dedicated to the deaths of four icons of Greek mythology.
The Swiss outfit approach Creon (named for the ruler of Thebes in ancient Greece) with a much more dramatic and doomed flair than on its predecessor, taking four separate epic movements to tell their story, rather than the shorter and punchier omens that made up Világvége. It’s a tactic that suits them well, and this different path on their fourth full-length allows the band to showcase their ability to evolve with time.
Creon is a forceful and desolate record, with the music treading the sludgy road devoid of hope or redemption.
That’s not to say that the album is 40 minutes of intense pummelling; Rorcal insert moments of melody in order to give pause for breath, with Πολυνείκης housing softer beauty in the undercurrents before Εὐρυδίκη closes the record on a devastating combination of fevered heaviness and furious pace.
