Krallice – Years Past Matter

• Country: United States
• Style: Black metal / Progressive metal
• Label: Self-released
• Release date: 25 August 2012

Krallice released Years Past Matter themselves, on a limited CD, with the vinyl edition handled by Gilead Media. The track titles are nothing more than strings of capital I’s, which tells you where the attention is supposed to go: the playing.

And the playing is extraordinary. Mick Barr and Colin Marston weave tremolo lines around each other until the two guitars stop sounding like separate instruments and start to feel like one shifting mass. Lev Weinstein’s drumming rarely settles into a plain blast; it pushes and pulls against the riffs. Nick McMaster’s bass is more present than before, and he shares the vocals with Barr.

“IIIIIIII” is the clearest entry point, and the closing “IIIIIIIIIIII” is the summit. This is an hour of very demanding music, and it gives nothing away on the first listen. It is also, quite possibly, the best thing the band has made.

Best tracks:

IIIIIIII
IIIIIIIIIIII

Author’s rating: 8.5/10