Keep of Kalessin - Reptilian

Here's a weird one. I first heard these Norwegians when I got their last album, Kolossus, as a gift shortly after its release. It struck me as an odd, but very good, modern black metal release. The arrangements were epic and the playing was intense, though not especially heavy. The production seemed to emphasize the song over the guitars, but it was still recognizably Black Metal, and after a few casual listens, I found myself digging in. Watching the accompanying DVD of the making of that record was illuminating... where you expect grim/serious black metal dudes to be behind the creation of such albums, these guys came off as... dorky. With this follow-up album, the dorkiness has come to the fore.

dragons up your ass

With Reptilian we've got an 8 song dragon-based concept album. If Blashryk registers a 4 out of 10 on the black metal nerdometer, this shit tips the scales. I'm pretty sure Kolossus was a vaguely conceptual record detailing the rise and fall of some kind of empire, whereas Reptilian follows the journey of a dude who taps into the "power of the dragon tower" (actual chorus refrain) to transform into a dragon. I think. Actually I think Keep of Kalessin have had dragon-themed imagery around for awhile, as the cover of Kolossus had a solitary reptile claw, presumably that of a dragon. It probably has to do with the fictional world of Earthsea, from which KoK draw their name. However, singing about dragons from what's essentially a young-adult fantasy series seems like something even Blind Guardian (whom I love) would balk at.

Imagery aside, the music has changed quite a bit as well. Guitarist and songwriter Obsidian C has always been a shredder. His is a distinct style, and he's been called on as a touring guitarist for Satyricon in the past. Here he steps into the limelight and fully embraces a slew of new power metal inspired techniques. Melodic black metal is nothing new, but the riffing on hand here is some kind of hybrid-riffing: a mixture of traditional tremolo-picking and the melodic gallop of bands like Stormwarrior (also highly recommended) and Helloween. And there are choruses. Melodically speaking, they're fairly strong. Nothing as egregious as the cheesy synth-driven melodies of Dimmu Borgir or other "corny" melodic black metallers. But the lyrics would make a dwarf blush. "Grant me the power of the dragon tower" is a tough sell when set against a black metal backdrop. It rankles the grim bits of your soul, and once you start squirming in your seat its hard to find that happy place that leads to truly inspired headbanging. The final track, at 14 minutes, is also a bit of a snore to get through. It could be 6 minutes shorter and I wouldn't mind.

That said, all is not bad. The guitar playing is uniformly excellent, and as mentioned, the melodies are strong. Had the band chosen darker subject matter this could have been a greater success at bridging two styles together. As it is, its more like a black metal record that power metal fans might like, rather than the reverse. But their ambition is certainly inspiring, and even if I might not be able to take it seriously, I'm sure I'll keep this in casual rotation for the summer.

 

Sepultura - Schizophrenia

The brutal truth keeps slapping me in the face: I don't have the time in my day, the focus required, or the fire in my belly to stay on top of this page as much as I'd like to. I'll stop trying to pretend I'll ever do this as a serious, frequently updated, or well-thought-out capital-b "Blog"... and just post about some shit I listened to, and what I thought of it. I imagine that'll mean a flurry of short posts then radio silence for a bit. So be it.

Good and ripping Brazilian thrash! If you ever research this album, say on metal-archives, you'll find countless mention of the "riff-tornados" contained within this early thrash/death beastie. And those other internerds are right: the riffs dominate, without a doubt. What strikes me about the early (read: good) period of Sepultura, is how much they anticipated the direction death metal would soon take. Sure, they were a thrash band, but the execution was more brutal than your typical thrashfest, in both riffing and vox. It's akin to the deathier bits on Reign in Blood, I guess, but it still feels heavier (blasphemy?), and to my ear, a bit closer to early Possessed and Death. The instrumental track "Inquisition Symphony" is amazing in that its by far the longest thing here, and even without any of Max's barked vocals, it simply plows onward without becoming boring. In fact, this is probably one of the best "riff-tornados" in all of thrash: it simply never lets up, thrashing and sawing from section to section, riff after riff, into riff-tornado history. Ah, the riff-tornado. Such a stupid expression reserved for an awesome creation.

I'm not a Sepultura diehard by any means -- my first exposure came through Chaos AD back when it came out, and I hated it then, and still dislike it now. And Roots may be a classic to some, but it ain't my bag, that's for sure. But the early 'thrash' period contains some stellar albums: Arise is one of the best thrash albums I've ever heard, Beneath the Remains is also very strong though I'm somewhat less familiar with it, and Schizophrenia belongs right alongside those seminal works. The sound isn't as pristine or as refined as they'd get later, but its a welcome trade-off for energy and brilliant riffing. Highly recommended.