Album Review
Krallice – Scour Order
Technical complexity meets captivating melodic finesse.
With technical music, it can sometimes be difficult to lose yourself in the music. But that is precisely the secret of the bands that get it right: they introduce you to their technical prowess while winning you over on an emotional level at the same time. In my opinion, New York avant-garde black metal band Krallice are among the few who manage to pull this off. I have to admit that I struggled a little with their latest album. Not because I disliked it, but because I initially found it difficult to get into. I think albums rooted in such a specific genre need a little time. Taking them in and understanding them really matters.
Formed in 2007, Krallice are a prolific band with plenty of experience in their field. Their 15th and latest studio album, Scour Order, runs for roughly an hour and comprises eight tracks. As always, one of the first things that stands out is the ferocious performance of vocalist Nicholas, one of the band's founding members. Given the album's technical nature, I can say that every instrument has been handled at the highest level, with considerable thought put into each part. This command of their instruments is precisely what makes Krallice both relatively challenging to listen to and so good at what they do. Everything is performed at an exceptional level, with an almost flawless degree of professionalism.
The opening track, “Agonal Shining,” is initially a challenging listen for anyone encountering the band for the first time. However, as the song progresses towards its conclusion, it draws you in and leaves you wanting to hear more of the album. The following track, “Grievous Corrector,” reinforces that strong opening, delivering the kind of continuation that makes you think, “Yes, this is exactly what I was looking for.” I think one of the biggest challenges for albums in this genre is remaining true to the style while still offering variety and fluidity. Krallice pull this off beautifully on this record. And the track that really drives my point home is “Kill the Guardian”… Without a doubt, my favourite track on the album. I would even recommend that newcomers to the genre start listening to the album here. Then we reach the fourth track, “Unceasing Path,” a calmer, more middle-of-the-road effort. After that, the album picks up again and, in my opinion, evolves into an even better version of itself.
I would also like to talk a little about the album's sound. As I mentioned earlier, the musicianship is top-notch, but the way it has been integrated into the overall sound is equally impressive. What I mean is that if you want to hear the guitars, you can hear the guitars; if you want to focus on the drums, you can hear the drums clearly. You can easily appreciate the technical skill involved. I think that is a quality worth praising. I believe technical albums generally appeal most to people who play instruments themselves, which is why I didn't want to overlook this detail.
The fifth track, “Living Useless Ritual,” is where you feel everything I've just described right down to your bones. Whatever you want to hear, it's right there, exactly where it should be. The next track, “Indecipherable Divinities,” won me over particularly with its drum work and its more melodic approach compared to the other songs. I think these qualities also made it my second favourite track on the album. As we approach the end, the seventh track, “Her Green Arms,” genuinely impressed me, particularly with its melodic riffs, and I have to say that it caught me by surprise in that respect.
My theory that I tend to enjoy albums with stronger second halves much more than those whose first halves are better came into play here, too, and Krallice's latest has ended up benefiting from this personal tendency of mine. With that feeling in mind, I arrived at the album's title track, “Scour Order,” and I'm very glad I did. A fantastic closer! It is a perfectly judged piece that practically sums up the entire album's concept and sound in a single track. Without question, it's one of the album's finest moments and absolutely deserves to bear the album's title.
As I said at the beginning, I wouldn't call Scour Order an easy album to get into on the first listen, and that also made it difficult to review. But I think that difficulty is part of what this genre is all about. If it were easy to listen to, it wouldn't be called avant-garde. Don't let any of this put you off. Although its technicality can be challenging at times, the melodic details and musicianship soon draw you in and even leave you spellbound in places. Don't be afraid. Dive into Krallice's vast, experimental, sometimes chaotic and emotionally charged sea, and get ready for an immersion that takes you deep while still allowing you to breathe with ease. I guarantee you won't drown.
Stay metal.
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