aaamusic | On 12, Feb 2012

I’ll have to go with the press release here. Kadavrik are doing something different here. The sound on ‘N.O.A.H.’ is not quite death metal, and not quite black metal. Frenzied riffing and endless bass drum is tempered by a precise control of the sound as a whole. Metal of this kind demands tightness, but Kadavrik are almost unnaturally together, with not a note wasted.

 

In some ways, ‘Legacy’ is your standard extreme metal opener, a ponderous yet fast riff and searing death vocals and drum fills that require subwoofers to appreciate. But in lieu of Euro-metal choruses, we get thrown a raw, almost punk inflected break with savage group vocals leading into a soaring melodic instrumental. But where it really kicks into interesting territory is ‘Dream And Vision’, a track that channels about three styles at once: there’s hints of slower, doomier bass for split seconds, a conventional death metal aesthetic in vocals and black metal aggression. But the production is so understated beyond sticking it all together that it all culminates into a real display of skill. There’s very little in terms of studio magic that’s easily detectable, and given the hairtrigger tempo and style changes, the result is something that’s simultaneously impressively metal in approach yet holds a distinctive mark of artistic vision. ‘Between Ecstasy And Lethargy’ hit a startling point: I don’t think I’ve ever heard any piece of more extreme metal hit the emotions quite so immediately. There’s something that’s both uncompromising yet accessible here, as melodies and tenderness lurk beneath the pummelling sonic immensity of the drums and guitars.

The furious riffs and stripped-back sound of ‘Let My Blood Boil Tonight’ is a real treat for anyone who wants to hear a no-frills version of Kadavrik’s sound, as it bursts into a huge guitar solo yet the band retain their vicelike grip on the song. ‘Rußgeschwärzt’ is more darker in comparison, drawing in a lot of black metal influence in the focus on an atmospheric keyboard and choral vocals soundscape that overshadows (in more ways than one) the chaotic tumult the drums and vocals create, the two parts countering and complimenting one another in style. Closer ‘Tragödie’ cements Kadavrik’s eccentric yet determined approach, as black metal atmospherics give way to a churning keyboard almost as violent as the guitars in its own understated way, and the guitars sprawl in malevolent riff.

The album gets genuinely challenging at points. ‘Von Zerstörung Und Neuanfang’ suffers a little too much genre-mashing as the softer moments feel a little too out of place in the maelstrom, but the mixing done on the track and the musicianship are all superb, with a stellar balancing act between the savage and the sweet, even if there’s a bit of a jolt on the segue between it and the majestic ‘Die Flut Sind Wir’. The eclectic ‘High Rollin’’ can also be hard to get into as its churning insanity collides with its more proggy moments (including a bewildering keyboard bit) but it’s by no means offputting. ‘Marae’ is a good example of this paying off. It’s quite a gentle piece and an instrumental, yet beneath what seems to be a simple tranquil midpoint is some great hybridisation of metal tones and more chilled styles, almost approaching ambient in between chugging bursts of snarling distortion.

 

Kadavarik might occasionally overreach in their vision, and elements in ‘N.O.A.H.’ don’t always gel, but I suppose that what I’m trying to do here is constructive criticism. Because for all intents and purposes, you can tell it is the fruit of seven years as a band. It’s at once an epic artistic statement and a powerful heavy metal roar, and the product of truly remarkable skill and passion.

 

Katie H-Halinski