Kall - Brand (2020)

From the ashes of Lifelover, today we have Kall and their very unique and somber mixture of Depressive Rock with Black Metal. With their sophomore release “Brand”, the band continues their exploration of obscure and depressive sounds while crafting six brilliant tracks that slowly uncover a very decadent and poignant style. For nearly one hour we are treated to some very chaotic and yet lush compositions of madness and despair, a journey you don’t want to miss out on.

The release starts with a certain Bluesy vibe as “Rise” slowly builds up to crafty guitars, a lively bass guitar line and hellish vocals. The combination has a very unique Katatonia-meets-90’s Bethlehem vibe that is both sinister and quite chilling. The band’s craftiness allows them to develop songs like “Fervour”, where the tempo slowly builds while the atmosphere chokes up the listener, particularly when the solemn saxophone comes into play.

Going into more experimental and transcendental territories the magical “Eld” sets a very distinctive and interesting mood, while “Fukta Din Aska” crafts an Amenra-esque atmosphere flanked by funky saxophone leads and crafty drumming. The band’s style is far from linear, and while seemingly disconnected, all tracks have a very emotional and cohesive feel to them as the ritualistic “Hide Below” unleashes Bluesy percussions and psychedelic arrangements. Reminding us a bit of a more chaotic version of Svarti Loghin at times.

Closing with the bleakness of “Fall”, we are left quite intrigued and captivated by this release. As we listen to this release more and more (we have probably heard the full album 15 times already), we keep discovering unique little details and more nuisance into the band’s sound. While not just doing another version of Lifelover, Kall has a very unique and demoralizing soul of its own. If you like weird and oppressively atmospheric releases, better not miss out on “Brand”.

Label: Prophecy Productions

Release: June 19th, 2020

Genre: Depressive Rock/Black Metal

Country: Sweden