Krallice – Years Past Matter

Post black metal music is raising all and all from the last years of the ’00s and more often new bands are coming out playing this genre. I remember that I learned Krallice from their previous record “Diotima”, which is truly mind-blowing and the chaotic compositions impressed me very much. Now they released a new album “Years Past Matter” and it’s their first self-released record. As the chaotic music of post black metal makes many impressions and it’s very “catchy” to many ears. But is it always such an anarchist music always good?

To be honest, “Years Past Matter” passed almost unnoticed. Nothing to attract my attention as happened in “Diotima” or other past albums, nothing to make me listen to it another time. Every song seems to be a sequel to the following one, so the whole can be characterized by only one track. Even if the first song starts very promising with furious tremolo pickings and the usual Krallice chaotic melodies but it has many forgettable points later. Track 2 has a few good moments in the beginning, quite remarkable drumming and the chaotic riff near 6:30 is very interesting but the next part goes easily into oblivion. The third track reminds a lot the past records with heavy distorted pickings and massive drumming but unfortunately by the end of the song didn’t let me something memorable, except the skills of Lev Weinstein on drums.

In track 4 “Years Past Matter” surprised me suddenly and woke me up in someway by the mediocrity with its Agalloch-like arpegio intro and its next furious riffs, but unfortunately again the next half is an aimless dissonance, in my opinion. Passing the pointless Track 5, it comes the last song and the only one which saves somehow this wreck. Track 6 has a total epic beginning with such arachist melodies and a grandiose passage which leads into post-black metal parts and at the same time more chaotic, ’till they return to their usual polyphony and end with a raw black metal riff. Unquestionably Track 6 is a break in that they used to be. Krallice, had very stunning releases and I will stay only there. “Years Past Matter” is simply an odorless, tasteless and colorless album without something to stay after its listening. I don’t care if they have fucked up every music scale, it was successful in “Dimensional Bleedthrough”, “Diotima” or in the self titled record. But simply in “Years Past Matter” doesn’t fit.