EPK – KRATORNAS – God of the Tribes (2025) (Grathila Records)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“I don’t know… If they’re expecting another “superfast brutality” or “sudden excitement,” this album will alienate most of them. Look, Kratornas is done. I’m retired, and I’ve been doing “fast” for the first 15 years, so it’s time to “evolve” and do whatever I want with it now. On this album, I did use instruments that were new to me, like a 7-string guitar for L/R channels, a 6-string fretless bass, and more. It will disappoint them because this one is NOT “fast”, no blast beats, no power chords, no distorted fizzy guitars, all that stuff will not be heard here.
It’s about “BUILD UP” this time. If listened to loud, it’s ENERGY, motivation, and aggressive behavior. If you sit down and listen to, with good headphones, it will bring out a different “experience” because the mix is “moving and breathing” if that makes sense. Kratornas is created by an active person for another active person. It’s not meant to be “experienced” by some lethargic, depressed “dude” with “mental health” issues looking to experience some… “atmosphere”. Kratornas drives “function”: working out, contribute to community, train, fuck some women, etc. I don’t get this “suicidal metal” experience. Never that I encouraged the “fans” to slump inside, watch TV all day, and eat Cheerios. NO! We sleep when we’re dead! If you’re a hyper person, then Kratornas is your jam!” – Kratornas
For fans of Celtic Frost, Suffocation, Cro-Mags, Discharge, Immolation, Mortuary Drape, Varathron, Argentum , ENDVRA, Merzbow, Enigma
Band: Kratornas
Album Title: God of the Tribes
Release Date: August 22, 2025
Label: Grathila Records
Kratornas.com | Facebook.com/officialkratornas | Youtube.com/@KRATORNAS
Kratornas.bandcamp.com | Spotify| Apple Music
“Kratornas has returned and have taken large steps in progression with their musical maelstrom of violence.” – Canadian Assault (2017 – Human Livestock 7″ EP)
“What’s even better is that the music doesn’t just move in the sense that a rocket moves. The songs are more than sheer exultations in the thrill of speed and violence. They also change course. They veer into hammering grooves; they bolt into bursts of blood-pumping thrash riffing; they pulse like some kind of laser weapon being triggered. Yes, the songs are often deranged — when Kratornas is in full grind mode, you can imagine oceans of blood spray ejected from a fire hose and bodies being atomized in a frenzied butchery — but there’s impressive intricacy and dynamism in the songs, as well as jaw-dropping technical skill and manifest blood lust.” – No Clean Singing (2016 – Devoured by Damnation LP)
“If you like chaotic, blasting Black Metal, then this is a good bet.” (2016 – Devoured by Damnation LP)
“This album is intense. From start to finish Kratornas is absolutely relentless and have put together one hell of an album with a whole lot of everything in the mix without sounding repetitive.” – Metal At The Gates (2016 – Devoured by Damnation LP)
“While its – drum and guitar/voice – format might suggest similarities with the Inquisition, in sound terms are two quite distinct entities. Here there is a greater degree of chaos and a greater departure from the traditional scene (second wave of black metal) than the one we can find ourselves in Inquisition. Basically it is what would happen if we join powerviolence with black metal. It is something that impresses, without a doubt, but that may have a tendency to tire. Fortunately this does not happen much here because all the themes end up having healthy dynamics, mainly a healthy rib of primitive death metal ( plus an element to join the party) and mainly a solo guitar taken from the breca that looks like a bouncing diabolite. Awesome and surprising album.” – World of Metal Mag (2016 – Devoured by Damnation LP)
Album Title: God of the Tribes
Release Date: August 22, 2025
Label: Grathila Records
1. Cursed Sky Serpent (15:00)
2. Evil and Plunder (3:00)
3. Ravaged by Hurakaan (7:00)
4. Novena para Guerra (11:00)
• All songs performed by: Bruno Zamora
• All songs written by: Bruno Zamora
• Produced by: Bruno Zamora
• Mixed by: Bruno Zamora
• Mastered by: Dan Swano
• Album Artwork by: Genoicide Artwork
Bruno Zamora – All instruments, Vocals and Chants
About The Album Artwork:
There’s a “slipcase” to conceal the album artwork. It explicitly depicts what is happening now. I call it “comforting” to look at, but anyone can have their own way of “describing” it.
About The Album Artwork:
There’s a “slipcase” to conceal the album artwork. It explicitly depicts what is happening now. I call it “comforting” to look at, but anyone can have their own way of “describing” it.
About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
Lyrics are thick with metaphors and open to many interpretations. Musically, this album is unlike the usual Kratornas. Anyone expecting it to sound like early Kratornas will be disappointed. It’s all about build-up this time. There are no sudden loud bangs or sudden excitement.
I have the “gears” now and this brings no limitations. It’s time to move forward, and since I can do whatever I want now, I can say this album is the most natural and most honest album I’ve ever done. It’s the start…
Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
1. CURSED SKY SERPENT – The world is in ruins, destroyed by massive natural disasters and man-made weapons. Depicts rain of fire, a flood of blood from an ocean of dead bodies, tornadoes, and lava wiping everything out. The “Sky Serpent” (or Green Comet) is an ancient god returning to end humanity. The lyrics mix old myths with modern “doomsday visions”; f.ex “Heeding the prophecy, Beasts from the sea” were how ancient prophets described visions of the future, unable to recognize aircraft carriers, submarines, and destroyers. What they called “beasts” were just modern machines of death.
2. EVIL AND PLUNDER – This is about the world falling apart. Endless creeping of war and violence. “Demons” rise, plague spreads, and the idea of peace is non-existent. The lyrics talk about secret societies and symbols of ownership hidden in plain sight, with people turned into slaves (as seen on the album cover). It shows a world ruled by pure greed and cruelty, where religion and authority become tools for mass murder, and no one is spared from the coming slaughter.
3. RAVAGED BY HURAKAAN – Describing the world being torn apart on purpose by “hidden rulers” who want to create a new order. Once again depicting war, man-made plague, and economic collapse wiping out humanity. The lyrics paint images of burning nations, bodies dragged to boiling waters, and people hunted like animals. It’s meant to show there’s no hope or salvation but only destruction planned by the higher-ups, leading to chaos and death everywhere. Killing yourself is not an option, it’s a reward!
4. NOVENA PARA GUERRA – This song is a twisted prayer calling for war, ending in a nuclear strike. It depicts deluge, drought, poisoned waters, and suffocating heat waves killing everyone. The chanting dance fertilizing the ground by blood, and singing at the end, makes it known that humanity is worshipping violence, not peace. Visualizes dark decades of dust (fallout), mountains of corpses, and endless battlefields. The message here is: There’s nowhere to run! No Hope! No Life! I HOPE YOU DIE!!
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FUN FACTS – STORY ANGLES:
1. The album features some unusual instruments, but one remains completely unidentifiable. After it was recorded and warped beyond recognition, I can’t fully explain what it sounds like anymore.
2. Seven-string guitars were used for both left and right channels, each playing differently but locking together as one. 6-string fretless bass – channels raw tribal energy, while the drums pulsing African polyrhythms, pushing everything forward. Layered in the background are some “ominous” keyboards, chimes, and a jaw harp. Expect NO to lesser blastbeats!
3. To create unpredictable riffs, I bought a cheap left-handed guitar, even though I’m right-handed, forcing myself to play completely differently. The riffs were then transcribed back for a regular right-handed guitar, making them sound completely unnatural yet intentional.
4. Bruno Zamora was one of the young drummers at tribal festivals, performing six hours under the sun at each annual event for three years. Encounters with indigenous buskers and their improvised instruments added another layer of influence. Unlike many “tribal” on metal, this album draws from firsthand experience rather than just aesthetics.
5. Sustained guitar sounds remained in the album because the notes rang out for a really long time!
extreme metal entity Kratornas has unveiled the official artwork for the highly anticipated full-length album “God of the Tribes” (mastered by Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity)) set for release on August 22nd, 2025, through Grathila Records. In a dramatic departure from previous works, “God of the Tribes” represents a significant shift in Kratornas‘ approach. The mastermind behind the project explains:
“This album marks a turning point for KRATORNAS. Not because it tries to be “different” but because it couldn’t have come out any other way. Every part of this release came together naturally. The sound, the pacing, the tension… it wrote itself, shaped by instinct and intention. This album is unlike the usual Kratornas so to anyone expecting it to sound like “early Kratornas” will be disappointed.”
The striking album artwork perfectly complements the thematic elements of the record, which draws heavily from apocalyptic imagery and ritualistic concepts. Along with the artwork reveal, Kratornas has released an album teaser, giving fans their first glimpse into the sonic evolution that defines “God of the Tribes”.
Kratornas, formed in 1995, stands as the pioneering one-man extreme metal act originally from the Philippines and now based in Saskatoon, Canada. With roots tracing back to the underground tape trading scene of the late 1980s, Kratornas has forged its own path through extreme metal, evolving from its early Satanic themes to apocalyptic visions and now to a more nuanced, ritualistic approach with this upcoming release that is recommended for fans of all sorts of black metal.
Discography:
2025 – God of the Tribes LP
2025 – Ravaged by Hurakaan 7″ EP
2021 – Age of Wounds LP (remastered)
2020 – Pestilence EP (cassette)
2017 – Human Livestock 7″ EP
2016 – Devoured by Damnation LP
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