A lot’s changed in American black metal since Krallice formed three years ago. A lot’s changed for Krallice, too. Strange it’s only been three years — feels like they’ve always been around. Maybe because despite Mick Barr, Colin Marston, Lev Weinstein, and Nick McMaster performing in a dozen bands outside their USBM juggernaut, they’ve managed (more or less) to offer a new collection each year: Their sophomore album Dimensional Bleedthrough surfaced at the end of ’09, they hit the road heavy in 2010, and now, as we start ’11, we’re getting to sample another blackened whirlpool. The quartet’s third, most ambitious, unrelenting (and heaviest, fullest sounding) album, the Friedrich Hölderlin-referencing Diotima, is out in April. Musically, it’s a sort of combination of 2008′s self-titled debut and Dimensional, but as the group gets more comfortable with smashing formulas they’ve taken on an a darker, weirder, stronger, manlier shade. They’ve shaken off the Weakling references at this point, cool? It’s worth remembering that McMaster, who in 2008 handled “additional vocals” and live bass, has substantially increased his writing role and generally made his presence felt. (It’s also worth noting Barr recently relocated from NYC to the D.C. area — Maybe another factor in the shift?) Conceptually, the guys are still brainy, grim in intelligent real-life ways: We have songs dissecting Hölderlin’s “Ode To Diotima,” online existentialism, the apocalypse, Stéphane Mallarmé, the void, divinity’s mortality, rot, endless mausoleums, etc. Sonically, you get a sense of both sides of the palette via lead track, the 12+ minute “The Clearing,” one of the band’s strongest songs to date (which is saying a lot, but after listening, you’ll realize I could say even more). Lyrically, it features the following mind twister: “All death has eaten itself / so it turns to life.” (It’s also just a fucking twister.) Take a listen and ponder your inevitable demise. It’s alright if you cry: Really, no one else is making music like this right now.
Here’s the Diotima tracklist. The running times are worth noting:
01 “-” (2:07)
02 “Inhume” (6:51)
03 “The Clearing” (12:11)
04 “Diotima” (12:27)
05 “Litany Of Regrets” (13:40)
06 Telluric Rings (12:09)
07 Dust and Light (9:33)
Diotima is out 4/26 via Profound Lore. That’s not the official cover art, it’s a preliminary sample. McMaster’s still finalizing.
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Wow–more than an albums worth of ideas in this single track! Can’t wait.
This bodes pretty well for the album
you’re on the money with that last sentence Brandon!
this is…black metal deconstructed and put together in the most twisted possible way.
That’s one of the easiest/quickest first listens I’ve ever had to a Krallice track. Incredible, really looking forward to this record.
Okay. Just as long as some new bands start picking up the Weakling references.
We should be safe there…
I actually like the “cover” as is.
Love the track on first listen. What an amazing band.
One of the best bands in the American underground! Hopefully this one is the album that breaks them bigger, they deserve to be heard.
Yes!
Oh the riffs, the glorious glorious riffs
Never heard them before, saw one of my friends recommending it to another… needless to say I will be picking this album up.
Krallice know how to twist all the knobs controlling my brain. My most anticipated record this year by far.
Dimensional Bleedthrough was easily my favorite metal album of 2009. I’m sure this is going to rank #1 for me in 2011. I dig this track, although it seemed a bit disjointed. I typically enjoy Krallice for their various phases throughout a song, but the pieces didn’t seem to fit too well in this, IMO. That said, I have incredibly high hopes for this release, and cannot wait til it drops.
If this is the way music is going, I am a very happy person, looking forward to this greatly.
I do not understand why people like this band. I have always found them quite boring, I’ve even seen them live and was unimpressed. Wolves in the Throneroom does this music much better.
really like both bands … seems hard to compare!
very nice, so it’s going to be a 7 song double album? I am guessing…