Friday, February 17, 2023

Black Metal History Month - Altari : "Kröflueldar"

One of my goals for this month is to dig up bands that are black metal but unique. This band from Iceland meets this need in many ways. Have not covered any Icelandic Black Metal in a minute and seeing how these guys are on Svart it should be to think outside of the box. There is a darker more melodic throb. The bellowing vocals are the most black metal thing about the opening track. What I like about this album is two songs in and it is clear the darkness of the overall sound is the most black metal thing about this, as they are not hitting you with the normal metallic onslaught of blast beats. For that reason, there is something more honest in the sound. 

If you are wanting black metal to sound like Mayhem, this might not be black metal at all. I assure you this is. Even with all of the post-punk influence.The third song has a creepier feel and more tension to the slink of guitar as the vocals have more of a tortured rasp. Though it is not to say they are not above deviating from the genre altogether as the song after this shows. Female vocals hover against an ambient landscape that feels almost more like an interlude than the previous songs. They come back from this reprieve darker and more ominous. With a very organic guitar sound that works off a natural reverb, the note ring out magically. The vocals are more reverbed drenched , but rather than copying the cavernous cvlt sound they are continuing to do their own thing. 

As the album progresses they continue to get darker and sonically heavier. The vocals remain the only element that follows the protocol for more traditional forms of black metal, The stay at a pained bellow. The drummer's restraint and the guitarist ear for melody being the band's strengths. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, while the songs have a mood, the vocals do not lend themselves to being the hookiest in terms of really wearing this album out, but I can leave it one and just let it play all the same. This album drops in April.
 
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