KRALLICE’S DIMENSIONAL BLEEDTHROUGH DOESN’T DO THE BAND JUSTICE
MS Maniac Edward Wilfred is digging the new stuff from NYC black metallers Krallice. Says he:
First I want to thank you guys for turning me on to this band in the first place. They are definitely one of the greatest black metal bands I have ever listened to. But anyways, they have a new track up on their myspace and apparently a new album is coming out november 10!!!!! Hurry up and post the news so the rest of the metal world can jizz over the news!!
You’re welcome for the introduction, Edward. But I’m going to have to disagree with your assertion that they are one of the greatest black metal bands ever (“that you’ve listened to”… ok, maybe).
Krallice positively blew my mind at Scion Rock Fest earlier this year. Blew it up, smashed it into little shreds and dined on my leftover brains with their Zombie sister. They were my festival highlight, in fact. But after listening to their prior self-titled record — and now having had a chance to live with their new one Dimensional Bleedthrough (out Nov. 10) — I will have to maintain that Krallice are a band best experienced live.
In the live setting, the constant builds, swells, twists and turns take you for a wild ride; “did they really just do that? what next? how can it get even more epic than this? ohhhh!” But on record, Krallice just seem flat to me. The songs wander with little direction and it’s way too easy to just zone out and forget you’re listening to anything at all. There are plenty of cool moments, lots of them in fact… but nothing that really holds you there as you wait with baited breath for the next move like you do when the band rocks it out live. The muted production doesn’t help (but boy it sure is kvlt/trve/br00talz!!!), and only serves to further the general same-ness of textures throughout the whole record.
Ultimately I’m not even really faulting Krallice here. They’re great musicians and they write great music. It’s just hard to capture it fully on record. I’m not sure it can even be done. This music is best experienced live. It’s apples to oranges.
So that’s that. But holy fuck, the band really does kill it live and I highly recommend you go see them if you can.
-VN
(2.5 out of 5 horns)
