Crystalline Exhaustion - Krallice: Review

Krallice

are a New York black metal project helmed by black metal virtuosos Colin Marston and Mick Barr. The project has been releasing albums consistently for almost 15 years and during the later half of the 2000's and early 2010's they established a reputation for being one of the most technically impressive acts in the genre.

Review By Lav:

Krallice have been one of the definitive bands in black metal for pretty much as long as I've even been aware of the genre. While that is admittedly only 10 years or so it still placed me right around the time of what many consider to be their most significant and influential release, 2012's Years Past Matter. I didn't appreciate the bands ability to apply their technicality without sacrificing any of the harsh crushing energy of their songs nearly as much at the time as I do now in retrospect I see them as a must listen band for those exploring black metal. While I didn't get the chance to formerly review their quarantine album released last year I made sure I wasn't going to miss this and ultimately I'm very glad I didn't.

I had no idea that the band released a song from this record early as a single of sorts so I basically went into this thing blind. That turned out to be a pretty good idea because if there's one thing this record does well it is getting songs started with a bang and an immediate reason to stick around. That doesn't mean however, that there weren't songs here I wasn't crazy about. Archlights is probably my least favorite song on the record but even it goes in right for the kill as soon as it starts with gruff screams and blistering instrumentation. Stylistically something about the track isn't really connecting with me which is what critics say when they're struggling to find the words to describe why they don't like something. There are certainly moments I enjoy, specifically the song fading out around the 3 minute mark only for the instrumental to return even more ferociously afterwards. For whatever reason this composition just feels sloppier than a lot of the others and doesn't really set up for any moments I find all that compelling. 

Telos is the shortest song on the album but it's appropriately direct with that entire runtime. Everything behind the pummeling drums is wrapped up in a thick haze that gives the song an unmistakably heavy demeanor. I can't help but wish I could make out a bit more of its musicality and this is a minor complaint but the genuinely harrowing screams on the first half of the track are much better than the macho chugging across the finale minute or so. Heathen Swill comes right after this and grabs you right from the start with dizzying guitar riffs and darker more brooding vocals. I love how much the song bounces between these two very distinct sounding passages every few seconds but keeps them refreshing and keeps the song constantly driving forward. The only issue I have with the song is the cymbals which for some reason sound way thinner and somehow way more distracting on this song than anywhere else on the album. 

The record opens up with Frost which takes its time across a two minute intro building up to a stuttering drum line and then those distant but all consuming black metal vocals. It transitions into a long and constantly shifting and very technical instrumental passage that eventually includes this barely audible chanting that just sounds absolutely demonic in the thick mix. It's a pummeling and effective start to the record that makes great use of its 10 minute run time. Closer to the back end of the album we have Dismal Entity which features an absolutely awesome intro that once again gets my attention immediately. It also features the most purely tortured vocal harmonies on the album and allows them to stretch out into space perfectly backed by those piercing electric guitar lines. The song had an ambient breakdown right in the middle but it never loses that noticeable hum right in the front of the mix which makes everything sound all the more satisfying when the drums rush back in and the song finishes off proper.

Despite having enjoyed quite a bit of the record so far, it really did save it's best track for last. Crystalline Exhaustion is not only the closing track but also the title track and the longest on the record. To the surprise of nobody it gets off to a great start with this distant beautiful collection of strings that is expansive in a way that also flirts with the blistering assault you know is eventually coming. When the dam finally breaks it doesn't do so immediately but with a long and thrilling build up to it. The instrumental variety that is put on display and all the different sounds that come together to make this a compelling rise is probably the singularly most impressive thing on the entire record. Even once it reaches that point in the song it isn't a brash pummeling of pure sound it's more like a thunder cloud that innocuously moves in until you finally look around and realize that you're completely surrounded by it. It's an epic finale to an already epic record that was consistently dense and expansive throughout. 

Crystalline Exhaustion is an exciting record that sets up for repeatedly spectacular moments with it's impressive technicality and instrumental heaviness. While it's not the best record I've ever heard from Krallice it is one of the best things I've heard the band do in years and seems likely to land somewhere near the top among my favorite metal albums of the year when all is said and done. Some of these songs have a consistency issue and with so many sounds involved in every track it's almost impossible for it all to come together perfectly every time, but ultimately the band nailed it an impressive amount of the time and made a number of high points along the way. 7.5/10

Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson:

This has so much happening but surprisingly it has no real subject or discernable theme. I like the color palette and the sense of depth that occurs throughout the piece. The white light shining from the center draws your eyes there and deep into the composition but it all leads nowhere. If there was a pop of something exciting or more noticeable branding within in then it could have been exciting. Without, it looks like a Windows screensaver. 3.5/10

For more metal check out my review of The Body's I've Seen All I Need To See here