Kolossus
The Line Of The Border
Satanath Records / The Ritual Productions
Italian Kolossus on this album presents not just a straight forward black metal - expect much more music diversity in songs of this project. Opening intro with sublime instrumentals and vocal chants has made me wonder if that`d appear as progressive, medieval, or other kind of black metal in latter parts of the album. And yes, it does, it just turns out that Kolossus sounds very extreme and they play many, very fast and excruciating black metal songs. Although it`s not always happening like that, music also has craft and sound structures in mid-tempos, guitar riffs sound really sharp and ominous – even better when in a background you`ll hear some keyboard ambience, then songs become more atmospheric. What I think is very striking in songs of the band are sort of avant-garde guitar textures in music, while at the same time; the band just sounds very black metal. They also have progressive twists and melodic post-black metal influences in tracks as well. There are some gentle rock sounding tracks on the album, or guitar solos that not always sound metal, which is what show bigger potential and musical diversity of the band.
What else is more significant in those tracks are melodic vocals, humming layers, dark chants, Viking chants, whispers, spoken vocals, and tearing up growling-shrieks. Lyrics are in English, Italian and French, sang by different people and both sex.
I like musical contrasts in this album - very extreme black metal on one side, avant-garde metal, Viking metal and rock on the other. When songs sound chaotic, music also has this kind of ambitious fluency going on, in some tracks; When I just thought that it will be just another straightforward, abyssal black metal song of the band, I quickly had been surprised by Kolossus and fact that they were able to ease harshness of music in the moments when melodic vocals appear, and by this magical substance that this album has in mixes of sub-genres. Surely, it`s not only black metal album but it won`t be wrong if you say that it is.
I do not mention song titles of the band this time around, because I just think you should definitely give this album a go, because it`s entirely an original piece of dark metal in my opinion.
Similar bands: Kult Mogił, Portal, Deathspell Omega, Kira, Bathory...
What else is more significant in those tracks are melodic vocals, humming layers, dark chants, Viking chants, whispers, spoken vocals, and tearing up growling-shrieks. Lyrics are in English, Italian and French, sang by different people and both sex.
I like musical contrasts in this album - very extreme black metal on one side, avant-garde metal, Viking metal and rock on the other. When songs sound chaotic, music also has this kind of ambitious fluency going on, in some tracks; When I just thought that it will be just another straightforward, abyssal black metal song of the band, I quickly had been surprised by Kolossus and fact that they were able to ease harshness of music in the moments when melodic vocals appear, and by this magical substance that this album has in mixes of sub-genres. Surely, it`s not only black metal album but it won`t be wrong if you say that it is.
I do not mention song titles of the band this time around, because I just think you should definitely give this album a go, because it`s entirely an original piece of dark metal in my opinion.
Similar bands: Kult Mogił, Portal, Deathspell Omega, Kira, Bathory...
Tracklist:
1 Abyss
2 Fog
3 Chains
4 Sin
5 Journey
6 Reborn
7 Shores
8 Norge
9 Glimmer
1 Abyss
2 Fog
3 Chains
4 Sin
5 Journey
6 Reborn
7 Shores
8 Norge
9 Glimmer
Review by Slawek Migacz
Added: 06.11.2020
Added: 06.11.2020
