Eight years, five albums, and two EPs in, the New York-based outfit Krallice have long since shut up purists about their “hipster black metal.” Their four-man, post-structural assembly line runs at a breakneck pace, taking great care to balance the intricate (Colin Marston and Mick Barr’s interlocking riffs, Lev Weinstein’s head-spinning polyrhythms) with the incendiary (best exemplified by Barr and Nick McMaster’s shared, animalistic vocal duties; the former’s a screaming eagle, the latter a growling hellhound). The quartet frequently capitalize on the element of surprise; Krallice’s last two releases—2015’s Ygg Huur and last winter’s Hyperion EP—dropped spontaneously, a pair of inter-dimensional rifts masquerading as albums, far from the hum of the hype machine. Early last month, the band opened the portal once more to announce their sixth album Prelapsarian, subsequently released sans fanfare on the Winter Solstice.
Upon first glance, Prelapsarian, which the band recorded last summer, may not seem like much. Comprising four tracks and thirty-five minutes, the LP stands just a smidge taller than its predecessor, and sports a similarly dense stylistic template. Fans familiar with the stop-go surges and antiphonal touches of old will undoubtedly appreciate “Transformation Chronicles,” “Conflagration”, and “Lotus Throne,” the album’s staggered, epic triad.
Hyperion’s copious lyrical references to mythology, astrophysics, and nihilistic philosophy belied an obsession with the cosmic. Prelapsarian, by contrast, is the product of a band firmly planted on terra firma, racing against the doomsday clock. Post-election anxiety runs rampant, manifested in everything from the title (derived from the age of humanity’s primordial, Edenic innocence, the original “good old days” before Adam and Eve shared a snack and sealed humanity’s grim fate), to the razed-earth panoramas framing the doomy, eight-minute-long dirge “Conflagration.” - Source (http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22721-prelapsarian).
Upon first glance, Prelapsarian, which the band recorded last summer, may not seem like much. Comprising four tracks and thirty-five minutes, the LP stands just a smidge taller than its predecessor, and sports a similarly dense stylistic template. Fans familiar with the stop-go surges and antiphonal touches of old will undoubtedly appreciate “Transformation Chronicles,” “Conflagration”, and “Lotus Throne,” the album’s staggered, epic triad.
Hyperion’s copious lyrical references to mythology, astrophysics, and nihilistic philosophy belied an obsession with the cosmic. Prelapsarian, by contrast, is the product of a band firmly planted on terra firma, racing against the doomsday clock. Post-election anxiety runs rampant, manifested in everything from the title (derived from the age of humanity’s primordial, Edenic innocence, the original “good old days” before Adam and Eve shared a snack and sealed humanity’s grim fate), to the razed-earth panoramas framing the doomy, eight-minute-long dirge “Conflagration.” - Source (http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22721-prelapsarian).
The musical style of Krallice could be described as fairly clean by black metal standards, with long, dynamic songs containing some distinctive progressive metal influences. They've been compared to Weakling in some ways, although their music focuses much more on progressive song structures and less on the dissonant droning of Weakling's Dead as Dreams.
Formed in: 2007
Status: Active
Years Active: 2007-Present
LINE UP
Mick Barr - Vocals, Guitar
Colin Marston - Guitar
Lev Weinstein - Drums
Nick McMaster - Bass, Vocals
Country of origin: United States
Location: New York City, New York
Genre: Avant-garde Black Metal
Current Label: Profound Lore Records
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/krallice
Last FM: http://www.last.fm/music/Krallice
Myspace: http://myspace.com/krallice
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/krallice/id283560041
Merch: http://krallice.bandcamp.com/merch
Merch: http://krallice.bigcartel.com
Prelapsarian (Full-Length Album - 2016)
Released December 21, 2016
Recorded Mixed Mastered by Colin Marston at Menegroth the Thousand Caves Aug-Sept 2016.
Cover Art by Nick McMaster
Other Photos by Koichiro Kojima
