Krieg – The Isolationist (2010)

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“The Isolationist” marks the first full-length album after the 2007 revival of USBM band Krieg. Featuring members of a wide variety of Black Metal bands, most notably N. Imperial, we get 11 tracks of an interesting combination of raw Black Metal and some experimental elements that take this release into the ‘Black Metal with weird stuff’ category in our book.

Opening with a very desolate intro, “No Future” shows a very raw and aggressive side of Black Metal that only a few bands (and Krieg) can pull off and not sound pretentious or that they are trying too hard. The guitar riffing is hellish, N. Imperials screams are brutal and the overall atmosphere of this song will bring unrest to even the calmest person in the world. This is pretty much how the rest of “The Isolationist” will continue to affect the listeners psyche.

Krieg quickly gives hints of the weirdness that will happen around the end. In the second song “Photographs from an Asylum” we get a very drone/minimalistic-like into to the song, only to one minute later explode in full on rage. Things get a bit more melodic with “All Paths to God”, a piece that features very nice raw-sounding guitar melodies near the second half of the song. With “Ambergeist” the band goes back to full-on nihilistic Black Metal only to tune down things with the next song “Depakote”. This song features some weird drum beats and some droning sounds, which will make you, question your sanity (or Krieg’s for that matter).

After two brilliantly crushing Black Metal songs with “Blue of Noon” and “Inhalation Decays”, on track 9, is where things start to get weird and just completely spaced out. The end of “…and the Stars fell on me” is pretty weird and made us wonder if there was something wrong with the promo we received and Then a very eerie and minimalistic track with “Remission”, before another full-blown BM attach with most of “Dead Windows”. While this is not ‘extremely weird’ we find it interesting that it cut’s off the flow of the album very dramatically.

The core of “The Isolationist” is a very raw and nihilistic Black Metal that will surely please all fans of the genre, but the subtle elements of experimentation and occasional melody is what sets this release apart from the rest. If you want powerful riffing, varied song structures, brutal drumming and demonic singing, then this release is perfect for you. However, be warned that this album has more than it meets the eye (or ear in this case) and will surely catch you by surprise in some sections.

Band: Krieg Album: The Isolationist
Label: Candlelight Recordings

Release: October 26th, 2010

Official Site myspace
Genre: Black Metal

Country: USA

Rating: 87/100
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