For @sariash's #SymphonicMonday:

#Septicflesh: Psychohistory

https://song.link/bh23gstpjnqmb

#SymphonicDeathMetal

FFO #Aquilus #FleshgodApocalypse #HandOfKalliach

暴君: 蟬時雨 (Bloody Tyrant: Semi Shigure (Cicada Rain))

https://song.link/q9hjkjv2rjk39

#FolkMetal #MelodicDeathMetal

FFO #HandOfKalliach #Mystras #Noltem

#OwlClub

Aujourd'hui sur Blog à part –

Hand of Kalliach: Corryvreckan

Le metal que est souvent affaire de contraste. Et « contraste » est un peu le maître-mot de Hand of Kalliach sur cet album, Corryvreckan.

#deathMetal #Écosse #folkMetal #HandOfKalliach

https://wp.me/ppneF-aVm

Cruce Signatus – Cruce Signatus Review

By Eldritch Elitist

David Frazer is my kind of solo artist, and I mean that literally. From his social media and my occasional conversations with the Pillaging Villagers mastermind, it’s clear that his musical tastes overlap significantly with mine. Beyond that, though, he’s also all about metal. Many metal musicians cite their affinity for the genre as a mere slice of their musical diet, but Frazer seems to subsist almost entirely on metal, a regimen I relate to entirely. I raised an eyebrow, then, back when he outlined his next project for me: A multi-part conceptual work, one that he hesitated to categorize, but one that is more symphonic and electronic than purely metallic. Upon hearing the resulting product, I realized that I should always have anticipated Cruce Signatus’ eponymous first culmination would land home with me. That just leaves one question: What the fuck is Cruce Signatus, anyway?

It’s difficult and pointless to pigeonhole Cruce Signatus into any one genre, but stylistically I find that it fits snugly between the electronic baroque-metal hybrid of Keygen Church and the metallic synthwave of GosT. More theatrical than the former and less dance-y (and less batshit bonkers crazy) than the latter, Cruce Signatus finds its niche as both a cinematic soundtrack to a larger framework, and as a standalone, fulfilling metal record. It doesn’t earn its soundtrack qualifier just because it invokes moody electronic scores ranging from The Terminator to Stranger Things, but also because its thematic consistency implies connectedness even when themes are not being reprised and repurposed. As a contiguous experience, Cruce Signatus’ thirty-two-minute length feels perfect for its scope and lays a compelling groundwork for the three records due to follow in delivering a full two-hour composition.

That laying of groundwork, ironically, is also my main sticking point with Cruce Signatus. As an introduction to a larger work, it feels a bit limited in scope; its intensity is dynamic, but its tempo and tone are largely static. This inhibits some of the implied drama of the conceptual story, drama which was dynamic and unpredictable in certain Pillaging Villagers tracks, especially “The Count.” To Fraser’s credit, however, the lack of variety miraculously does not result in monotony. This record is consistently engaging and addictive, with a dozen or so moments from across its runtime worming through my head at any given time I’m not listening to it. The four movements comprising the album feature self-contained hooks and riffs which compound into clever payoffs as the tracks progress, with my favorite instance being the amped-up finale of “Lus Gladii.”

Cathartic songwriting is to be expected given Fraser’s pedigree, but his skills at electronic music production were unproven until now. Thankfully, the soundscape of Cruce Signatus feels fully realized and explosively vibrant; what it lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in flooding waves of colorful, gripping bombast. Even so, greater bass emphasis and better balance in general would have benefited the experience. This isn’t an ear-exploding affair on the level of GosT, mind you, but much of the record does feel piercingly treble-heavy. The exception to this rule is the climactic “Bellum Dei,” which eases off the high end and breathes life into Cruce Signatus’ heaviest elements. I’m invested in this project for the long haul, but I hope this track implies an allowance for later acts to feature a more even-handed mix.

Minor gripes with songwriting and production aside, I find myself once again enthralled with David Fraser’s vision. This project is deserving of significant attention; not just because of its inherent quality and inspired execution, but because its animated component, planned to accompany the entirety of the inevitable two-hour experience, is ambitious on a level I have not encountered previously in DIY music. Fraser proudly sports a “No AI” hashtag on the Cruce Signatus Bandcamp page, which serves to emphasize how vital a project like this is at this very moment. As the later acts of this epic are unveiled, I expect they will retroactively enrich this inaugural act further. As it stands today, my feelings towards Cruce Signatus are identical to my regard for this year’s Hand of Kalliach record: A nearly brilliant effort, and one that I feel confident will inevitably dovetail into a future masterpiece.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: n/a | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Self Release
Websites: crucesignatus.bandcamp.com/album/cruce-signatus | facebook.com/crucesignatusband
Releases Worldwide: June 6th, 2024

#2024 #35 #AmericanMetal #CruceSignatus #GosT #HandOfKalliach #InstrumentalMetal #Jun24 #KeygenChurch #PillagingVillagers #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #Synthwave

Hand of Kalliach – Corryvreckan Review

By Eldritch Elitist

I loathe the unspoken limitations of genre qualifiers. I am telling you right now that I’m presenting you with a specimen of melodic death/folk metal. As you read that phrase, your brain probably immediately jumped to Ensiferum. I can’t say I blame you, as Ensiferum was one of the first and arguably the best at hybridizing melodeath and folk music. But that same presumption might lead your expectations towards Hand of Kalliach astray. A Scottish husband and wife duo, Hand of Kalliach is self-described as melodic death metal that is interwoven with Celtic and Gaelic folk music and has been making wholly distinct music defying implied genre confines since 2020. Their yet-brief existence has already spawned an independent EP and LP, and now a sophomore full-length under the Prosthetic Records banner. Swift underground successes and unique sonic signifiers are all well and good, but when it comes to Corryvreckan, does innovation translate to a worthwhile listen?

To some of those expecting more traditional melodeath thrills, the answer may well be “no.” Yet as someone who traditionally prefers melodeath when it sticks to the hits, my answer is nonetheless a resounding “fuck yes.” Hand of Kalliach plays what I can best describe as atmospheric melodic death metal—hammer-on licks dance with crunchy, utilitarian death metal riffs amidst backdrops of ethereal vocals, to borderline hypnotic effect. If I allow myself a crumb of reductiveness, this approach sounds like a hybrid of Amon Amarth’s instrumentation and Sojourner’s spellbinding, Summoning-adjacent aesthetic. Hand of Kalliach nailed this approach with 2021’s Samhainn, and Corryvreckan enshrines the formula as well as any sophomore record ever has. Its writing feels tighter, song-to-song quality is more consistent, and in general, it gives me exactly what I wanted coming off of the preceding Samhainn: more.

While Corryvreckan provides exactly what I hoped, I can’t deny its potential for further refinement. This record may excel through consistency, but in retrospect, Samhainn had brighter highlights. That record’s best songs (“Beneath Starlit Waters” and “Each Uisge”) remain Hand of Kalliach’s most ambitious; Corryvreckan’s “Three Seas” and “Of Twilight and the Pyre” aim for similarly lofty heights, but take a bit too long getting to the point. Corryvreckan’s strengths, then, lie in its short-form material. “Deathless” and “The Cauldron” are masterfully condensed attacks at three minutes apiece, with the former’s knuckle-dragging, fighting game-ready riffs making it my favorite cut of the record. If those superficial thrills were spliced with Samhainn’s towering epics, Corryvreckan could have been the superior record. As-is, I find the two records on equal footing, with differing areas of specialization.

Much of what makes Hand of Kalliach so compelling lies in the contrasting vocal talents of Sophie and John Fraser. The former’s airy, Celtic folk-derived melodies imbue the proceedings with a downright mystical quality, while the latter’s full-throated death metal roars add a significant edge to the already substantial core execution. Together, they make one of the best “beauty and beast” vocal duos I’ve heard. While the vocals are typically lauded as one of Hand of Kalliach’s primary strengths, their engineering jobs are more divisive. Though sorely lacking in dynamism, I kinda love the way this record sounds. Its melodies feel grounded in landscapes and myth, and yet the drums and guitars feel unapologetically synthetic, with the latter’s blunt, sawing tones giving the record a nearly industrial metal vibe. This dichotomy of nature and electricity adds yet another intriguing wrinkle to an already fascinating soundscape.

Bands like Hand of Kalliach are vital to the metal ecosystem, those acts that take a somewhat avant-garde approach in style and songcraft while simultaneously delivering traditional immediacy and pure aggression. I have minor nitpicks with their songwriting – primarily, I wish they’d learn how to end songs in ways that don’t involve an abrupt cutoff – but I remain content, yet ever-curious about how the Frasers’ singular project will evolve going forward. Since I first heard Samhainn, I’ve believed that Hand of Kalliach has a masterpiece tucked away within their craft that will inevitably be unlocked by time and resilience. Corryvreckan may not be revelatory, but it is still a vital step in Hand of Kalliach’s creative journey and solidifies them as one of the most exciting metal bands working today.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records | Bandcamp
Websites: handofkalliach.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/handofkalliach | twitter.com/HKalliach
Releases Worldwide: February 23rd, 2024

#2024 #35 #AmonAmarth #Corryvreckan #Ensiferum #Feb24 #FolkMetal #HandOfKalliach #MelodicDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #ScottishMetal #Sojourner #Summoning

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BraveWords
HAND OF KALLIACH Signs To Prosthetic Records; Corryvreckan Full-Length Due In February, New Video/Single Now Playing
Husband and wife melodic death metal and Scottish folk music duo...

https://bravewords.com/news/hand-of-kalliach-signs-to-prosthetic-records-corryvreckan-full-length-due-in-february-new-video-single-now-playing

#HandOfKalliach #ProstheticRecords #Corryvreckan #FebruaryRelease #NewMusicVideo #SingleRelease

#NowPlaying #FullAlbum #ThursDeath Just randomly clicked on a recommendation on bandcamp (awesome cover art being one reason) and discovered this masterpiece 🎶🔥

"Hand of Kalliach are a husband and wife two piece playing a blend of melodic death metal with atmospheric Gaelic and Celtic influences, inspired by Scottish folk music."

It's on bandcamp here:
https://handofkalliach.bandcamp.com/album/samhainn

#Music #Metal #MelodicDeathMetal #FolkMetal #CelticMetal #HandOfKalliach