I had never heard of this band before going to a learnt-of-at-the-last-minute Wolves in the Throne Room show from some friends of mine who were going, and they, not too familiar with Krallice themselves, described the latter band as being "Technical Black Metal" with riffs that are insanely long. My first thought was great, misnomer-Black Metal even more pretentious than normal. I didn't know either of the other bands, and was going so I could see WitTR live - doesn't often happen out this way. Krallice were the second band on, and my buddies wanted to see them, so I stayed with them. Was I ever surprised.
The band got up on stage, and I was already impressed when I saw that the bassist/vocalist was wearing a Drudkh shirt. Then I noticed a six-string bass, a beautiful one, by the way, and thought what in Hell is going on here? Then they started playing...they had weird, but addictive (perhaps weirdly addictive? and I mean weird in the etymological sense here, too...), long riffs, during which the bassist improvised! By the end of their set, I knew I had to get their record, and bought it at the venue (I would later learn that they didn't play much from the record).
There are but six songs on the entire album, also named Krallice and released earlier this year through Profound Lore Records, and yet it clocks in at 52:42 - the shortest song on the album is 6:05 in length, the longest being 15:21. Riffs will go on for what seems like a relative eternity before repeating; it's uniquely disconcerting. This tactic also lends a truly twisted feel to the music, in a way, and it does so more successfully than most of this acid/multi-hallucinogenically derived metal (Black and otherwise). The focus and musicianship that rehearsing music like this must take is daunting and self-evident. What's more, they have their own sound that isn't immediately reminiscent of any other music, especially any other strain of Black Metal. There are some odd song-titles (but not in the dope-fiend manner) on this record, such as "Cnestorial," "Moler Codices," and "Timehusk."
Fear not bad production, however. This album is not recorded-in-the-forest-through-a-toilet production, and the guitar tone is excellent. The bass is audible, too, and never stays with the rhythm guitar long, veering off quickly and just long enough to make the switches ever-so-slightly off-putting. "Keeps ya on yer toes," so to speak.
Overall, I am very pleased with this album/band, and I recommend seeing them live, if possible! If you're looking for something unique, musically, I cannot recommend this band highly enough. There's not a bad song on this album - you just need the time to listen to it straight-through. Highly recommended!
The band got up on stage, and I was already impressed when I saw that the bassist/vocalist was wearing a Drudkh shirt. Then I noticed a six-string bass, a beautiful one, by the way, and thought what in Hell is going on here? Then they started playing...they had weird, but addictive (perhaps weirdly addictive? and I mean weird in the etymological sense here, too...), long riffs, during which the bassist improvised! By the end of their set, I knew I had to get their record, and bought it at the venue (I would later learn that they didn't play much from the record).
There are but six songs on the entire album, also named Krallice and released earlier this year through Profound Lore Records, and yet it clocks in at 52:42 - the shortest song on the album is 6:05 in length, the longest being 15:21. Riffs will go on for what seems like a relative eternity before repeating; it's uniquely disconcerting. This tactic also lends a truly twisted feel to the music, in a way, and it does so more successfully than most of this acid/multi-hallucinogenically derived metal (Black and otherwise). The focus and musicianship that rehearsing music like this must take is daunting and self-evident. What's more, they have their own sound that isn't immediately reminiscent of any other music, especially any other strain of Black Metal. There are some odd song-titles (but not in the dope-fiend manner) on this record, such as "Cnestorial," "Moler Codices," and "Timehusk."
Fear not bad production, however. This album is not recorded-in-the-forest-through-a-toilet production, and the guitar tone is excellent. The bass is audible, too, and never stays with the rhythm guitar long, veering off quickly and just long enough to make the switches ever-so-slightly off-putting. "Keeps ya on yer toes," so to speak.
Overall, I am very pleased with this album/band, and I recommend seeing them live, if possible! If you're looking for something unique, musically, I cannot recommend this band highly enough. There's not a bad song on this album - you just need the time to listen to it straight-through. Highly recommended!
A second opinion by Nova
Krallice is weird. Discordant, then harmonic. It's a very interesting combination and it certainly keeps you on your toes, as my esteemed colleague put it. The tracks suffer from being long-winded, droning on with the same riffs for several minutes, not all of them interesting enough to justify it. That said, it's definitely a good album. There's a tense and haunting sort of atmosphere and some really beautiful melodies. I especially enjoy 'Energy Chasms'. 15-20 minutes shorter and this would have been my image of near-perfect Black Metal.
http://www.myspace.com/krallice
http://www.profoundlorerecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/krallice
http://www.profoundlorerecords.com
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