Though this album has been released for a few months, I saw fitting to review it. Here we have the debut record from Swiss Black Metallers KVELGEYST. Out now via Vendetta Records.
Atmospheric guitars kick in with melodic riffs and roaring bass, broken up by cymbal crashes. The anticipation that grows from the growling march of the music is intense to say the least. A spectral array of guitar mastery and estranged musical prowess backs up and onslaught of screams that blend discordance and melody beautifully to make a unique grinding assault of some of the best modern Black Metal. The commanding style of vocals works incredibly well with a blistering inferno of really experimental guitars and off-kilter drums that are jarring in the best possible sense, conjuring a sense of dread while delivering a powerful, somewhat psychedelic, performance of hateful extremity that is packed with groove. Intriguing is the bare minimum one can call this album with a non-pretentious take on some really jazz-like musicianship making for some totally inhuman sounding Black Metal that is truly marvellous and a spectacle to witness. Despite only pulling in just over 30 minutes of music, this experience is not only one that feels complete but is refreshing and incredibly versatile while keeping an underground vibe. By no means traditional, but entirely excellent, Kvelgeyst deliver one of 2019’s most interesting, captivating and atmospherics records that really does stand out from the crowd brilliantly for its strangeness, but does not skip on impeccably skilled musicianship to back up the weird array of aggressive dissonance, making for a deadly final piece. With the exception of Mylingar, this might be the most warped, twisted and disturbing album of the year which is a damned impressive feat if you take its melodic prowess and fairly clear production into account. An utterly astounding album that spews out all of the hatefulness and eerie soundscapes Black Metal should contain and then some. This creepy opus will get under your skin… -9/10
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