Krisiun is a band who somehow got a big record deal among the hordes of other bands who seem to have the exact same approach. Following the long Brazilian tradition of skull-pounding brutality, Krisiun's goal is to play really thick tremolo riffs with blastbeats with the occasional slower part or solo serving to remind you they actually do have the capability to play something other than thick tremolo riffs and blastbeats--they just choose not to do so because there's really nothing better in life than thick tremolo riffs and blastbeats. You probably know that already, though, right? I mean, in this day and age you can just pull up a Krisiun song on youtube and get the general idea of what these guys sound like. Doesn't even really matter which album it is, they all have Morbid Angel-style riffs with tense grooves coupled with that South American straightforward, in-your-face songwriting approach and very rarely diverge from that formula. Though there's subtle variation from album to album (something that detractors of Krisiun as well as bands like Cannibal Corpse, Vader, Motorhead and whatnot often fail to get their head around), it's all punishing death metal written with the minimalism and blastbeat frequency usually seen in black metal. Not really a difficult sound to grasp or anything. What's the point in reviewing a Krisiun album then? Well, that previously mentioned subtle variation between albums actually makes for for some pretty large differences that a lot of people may gloss over. Sure, it all tries to be fast, heavy, loud and evil, but there are a lot of different ways to achieve those goals and some work better than others. The little tweaks that Krisiun have made to refine their sound over the course of almost a couple of decades now are definitely noticeable, and sometimes it seems like opinions regarding Krisiun either miss the little flaws that hold the album back or gloss over the idiosyncrasies that make each album cool and engaging. [1]
With rough, shoddy production, sharp, razor-blade guitar, incredibly powerful death grunts, and drums that do not stop blasting for the entire CD's length, any fan of black/death metal is guaranteed to find something to love with this CD. That said...and I never thought I would say this...this album may actually be a bit (in the words of Morbid Angel) "too extreme" for some people. There is not a single moment on this album that the band lets up the intensity, and the entire concept of "breakdowns" and even "slow" or "groove-oriented" passages goes up in flames in favor of a merciless blast of fire and hatred that very few blackened death metal bands can touch. Every note is brought to it's utmost extreme: the solos are long-winded blasts of pure adrenaline and speed, the same can be said for the drums (his regular fills often last as much as 5 seconds). However, the amount of extremity also equals a certain amount of confusion as to which song is playing...I wouldn't say that they all sound the same, but some people might find this to be a repetitive album with some songs (but certainly not all songs). This album is actually painful to listen to at times, but it's still a damn fine album and is recommended to anyone who enjoys classic death metal and black metal. I recommend "Obsession by Evil Force" and "Sacrifice of the Unborn". [2]
Tracks
- Black Force Domain
- Messiah of the Double Cross
- Hunter of Souls
- Blind Possession
- Evil Mastermind
- Infamous Glory
- Rejected to Perish Below
- Meanest Evil
- Obsession by Evil Force
- Sacrifice of the Unborn
If you like it, please buy it on their official website/merchandise.
Krisiun - Black Force Domain (1995)
No comments