Here we have the debut album from Polish Black Metal outfit Kir. At the time of recording, they were just a duo of Harvest (vocals) and Ferment (guitars, bass) with session drummer Krzysztof Klingbein but since the release of this album they are operating as a quintet so are obviously looking to take this on the road. Harvest and Ferment have been working together for more than a decade, and one can tell that from this release, which never sounds like a debut album at all as it is incredibly powerful, as somehow, they blend Rammstein into their sound, creating something which is more than “just” BM, but somehow stays true to its roots as well.
It also does not come across as self-produced either, yet Ferment engineered, mixed and mastered this while Heather came up with the Teutonic artwork for the cover, so it truly is independent throughout, but never seems that way. It is not all about brutal riffs, there is a lot of melody here, and a heavy use of atmospherics, which means one is never quite sure what to expect as they mess with tempos, sound and style. There are times when they remind me of Fen, others Darkthrone, as they provide us with a sonic landscape which teeters on the edge, but never quite pulls us over. The English translation of the album title is “The Call of the Void”, and musically they have lived up to that as they take us on journey which is uncompromising and powerful. This album really needs to be played on headphones to get the most out of it.
Rating: 7/10
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Kirmetal
https://www.godzovwar.com/