Italian Doom Trio King Potenaz Releases "Rivers of Death", the First Single from Their Upcoming Album "Arcane Desert Rituals Vol. 1"

 

King Potenaz is a doom metal trio from Fasano, Italy, esteemed in the heavy underground not only for their heavy-hitting brand of doom metal, but for their unwavering support of the stoner/doom community. 

Taking inspiration from stoner rock and doom metal greats such as Sleep, Electric Wizard, Kyuss, Monster Magnet, and Black Sabbath, King Potenaz produces a sound that combines these influences and more. It's a tone that's hazy and acidic with a strong occult and psychedelic undercurrent, but it's always commanding and deliciously sinister. King Potenaz is composed of friends Giuseppe (guitar and vocals), Francesco (bass), and Piero (drums and synths), all longtime musicians that have been active in the Italian underground scene for nearly three decades, and the band got their start in 2019 after some original songs began to rise from their jam sessions.

King Potenaz released their debut full-length album, Goat Rider, in April 2023, and it's actually an album that yours truly cut her heavy underground teeth on. Along with bands like Count Raven, The Sword, and Pentagram, King Potenaz was one of the first bands I discovered when I jumped into the stoner/doom underground a month after Goat Rider's release. I was immediately hooked by this album, finding it offered infinitely more layers and creative twists and turns than its mainstream counterparts, and I can safely say that King Potenaz is one of the reasons I decided to plant roots in the scene! Knowing this, it's not surprising to learn that I was incredibly excited to find out that the band signed with Swedish label Majestic Mountain Records in 2024, planning to release their next album, Arcane Desert Rituals Vol. 1, in June 2025, with "Volume 2" to follow later on in the year. On March 14, 2025, King Potenaz dropped the first single (and accompanying music video) from "Volume 1", a ten-minute juggernaut called Rivers of Death.

King Potenaz - Rivers of Death 

King Potenaz are certainly no strangers to the low and slow trudge of doom, but Rivers of Death ventures at least knee deep into drone territory, especially within its first three minutes. Drawn out notes and eerie tones of distortion ultimately lead into the most viscous and tasty main riff, absolutely dripping with evil and occult-heavy doom. The vocals jump in around the midway mark, sounding firm but appropriately haggard as they recount their dark tale:

"In the darkness of the rivers of death

The flowing waters swarm without breath

Among the shadows of buried laments

Souls sink into ice without end

Crows caw in the endless sky

While the black waves drag the pain..." 

Images of horror, torment, and catastrophic end abound throughout the song. However, there's a bit of a surprise near the end: a sudden upbeat tick and a launch into some retro grove atop the heft of the doomy foundation. Just as quickly, this dissolves into some spacey pulses as Rivers of Death fades out, raising more questions than answers (in the best way). 

Having heard this enjoyably longer-form version of King Potenaz, complete with its dark and bloody tale and cool instrumental variations, I'm more than excited to hear what the band has in store for their upcoming album. 

 

The official music video for "Rivers of Death" 

In other news, aside from cranking out these two volumes of doomy goodness, King Potenaz has also been busy gearing up to record a track for the Magnetic Eye Records Ramones Redux album! This will be part of the label's Redux series which pays tribute to some of the pillars of heavy music, featuring some of your favorite bands from under the Magnetic Eye umbrella. I'm also very happy to report that the compilation's Kickstarter project has surpassed its funding goal at the time of this writing, so be on the lookout for this amazing release! 

More About King Potenaz

King Potenaz Is:

Giuseppe Guarini - Guitars, Vocals

Francesco Pensato - Bass

Piero Schiavone - Drums, Synths 

You can follow King Potenaz and listen to their music at the following links: 

• Bandcamp
  
• Spotify
  
• Tidal
  
• Apple Music
  
• Facebook
  
• Instagram
  

If you like King Potenaz, you might also enjoy New Mexican Doom Cult!