Now trimmed down to a trio, melodic black/death metallers Keep Of Kalessin’s first album in five years sees chief creative force Obsidian C. assume full vocal duties for the first time – and his strong performances make you wonder why he didn’t take on the role years ago.
Much like his virtuoso guitar playing, his singing style shifts regularly to suit the mood of each of Epistemology’s eight tracks. His clean vocals on the epic The Spiritual Relief are powerful and melodic and sound awesome alongside a sick, percussive riff and his death metal grunts on the supercharged The Grand Design are savage.
Epic and extreme, Epistemology could be an apt score to a bloodthirsty Tolkien-esque battle and the symphonic Introspection in particular would be ideal for some post-skirmish tankard-smashing. Obsidian’s guitar- playing throughout the Norwegian’s sixth full-length opus is simply magical. Equal parts brutal (Universal Core) and beautiful (Epistemology), his stunning blues and classic rock-steeped solo during the title track is so good Dave Gilmore would sell his inflatable pig for it.
Via Indie Recordings
