Short. Sweet. To the point. Sometimes that do be how it is. It’s black metal, baby.
Kvlt Kolvmn is gearing up for its end of year bonanza. Before that happens, we figured we’d share a couple records that we absolutely loved from October. It may be a smaller batch than normal, but it lacks none of the weird black metal fury you’ve come to expect.
So while many of us feast on turkey and endure family disputes about politics, let's allow the rage of black metal to further encrust your icy hearts. Tis the season.
Stay frosty.
-Jonathan Adams
Winter’s Crown
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja
After two mind-altering and genre-bending albums that seamlessly combined psychedelia, krautrock, and black metal, the enigmatic Finnish quintet Oranssi Pazuzu has further eroded mental and stylistic boundaries with the aural experience that is Muuntautuja. Muuntautuja is a logical progression of the band’s prior two albums but with a change in emphasis. Rather than simply capturing separate performances from each instrument, Muuntautuja uses production as an instrument in of itself to create unified compositions that are greater than the sum of their parts.
Given that the presence of guitars is greatly reduced on Muuntautuja compared with Oranssi Pazuzu’s previous releases, there is not necessarily a “lead” instrument to be identified. This notion, combined with the fact that Muuntautuja features heavy use of synthesizers, liberal amounts of effects processing, and a multitude of other noisy electronic elements, seems to indicate that Oranssi Pazuzu has pushed their electronic influences to the forefront. Not only that, but the album’s production bears a stronger resemblance to the sound design found on many modern electronic albums compared with the more straightforward metal production found on albums from the band’s peers. Essentially, this means that all of the elements are woven together in such a way that any single thread is part of the greater whole of the compositions rather than simply instruments layered upon one another.
It's immediately apparent that Muuntautuja is a different beast altogether from the beginning of album opener "Bioalkemisti". What sounds like the pluck of a muted guitar string increases in frequency until it gives way to an electronic drum beat, grinding bass line, and ominous bass synthesizer. As the track progresses, however, the distortion-saturated, effects-drenched guitar and a spectral choral ensemble add layers of menace and unease to the hallucinatory proceedings. There are subtler elements that are difficult to identify, but that attention to detail and mindful production is part of what makes the compositions on Muuntautuja such complete listening experiences.
From there, the album continues down a disquieting rabbit hole of dark, exploratory music. The album's title track starts off filled with tension as a cracked trip-hop beat coupled with heavily processed, alien-like vocals. Eventually, the song's climax introduces a queasy bass synthesizer that slides up and down while insectoid electronic chirps and trills fill out the mid frequencies.
The most guitar-centric track that could have just as easily been on 2016’s Värähtelijä or 2020’s Mestarin kynsi is "Valotus". But even then, the track’s intensity is counterpointed with ethereal piano runs before eventually exploding into plodding, unadulterated improvised noise.
Ultimately, what Oranssi Pazuzu has done with Muuntautuja is use production as a way to present a compositional conceptualization in which each track finds the band reaching into the dark caverns of the mind and pulling out a nightmarish whole. It’s also a testament to the fact that Oranssi Pazuzu are outré pioneers years beyond their peers in both vision and execution.
-JD
Best of the Rest
Sun Worship - Upon the Hills of Divination
German atmospheric black metal masters Sun Worship have been releasing high quality work since 2011. Four albums in and their discography is indisputably consistent and in my estimation of exceptionally high quality. It feels to me that each new album organically builds on the strengths of the last, lending each new offering with a gravitas previously unreached. Upon the Hills of Divination, Sun Worship’s fourth full length record, maintains this pattern with clock-like precision. It’s an even wider, richer, darker tapestry than any of the band’s previous musical manifestations, and is in my estimation their most intricate and enjoyable record yet.
If you are one of the uninitiated when it comes to Sun Worship’s work, I strongly recommend you change that. Context concerning their previous releases certainly helps with the enjoyment of Upon the Hills of Divination, but is not absolutely necessary to absorb its many charms. Comprised of guitarist Lars Ennsen of Ultha (whose vastly underrated 2022 release All That Has Never Been True still gets semi-regular playing time) and Unru alongside Bastian Hagedorn on drums, Sun Worship does atmospheric black metal right. The riffs are crispy and memorable, the drums are crackling and chaotic, and the songwriting is deeply melodic and hooky. But rather than helming more toward the elegiac and gorgeous, Sun Worship takes a more violent approach to the subgenre and it works like an absolute dream.
All one need do to fully digest the band’s general philosophy is give opening track “Within the Machine” a listen. An absolute high point in the band’s career thus far, the composition blends intensity and melody with delicious and vicious glee, building the entire track around a central riff that is one of my favorites that I’ve heard so far this year. It’s chock full of strange electronics, brutal instrumentation, and an inexplicable catchiness that shines through the madness. Of particular note is Hagedorn’s performance on the kit, which feels reminiscent of Mgła’s work on “Exercises in Futility V.” It’s perfect from top to bottom, and a perfect example of the general delights Sun Worship have to offer on their latest LP.
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than the trvest of the trve not enjoying at least something about Upon the Hills of Divination. It’s a record showcasing a band at the peak of their creative and performative powers and a truly fantastic listen from start to finish. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
-JA