South American black metal has always been a world apart. It has a level of intensity that few of the genres European or American progenitors can claim to emulate, and when captured properly it reaches a whole new level. Such is the magic of Xalphen's new record, The Curse of Kwanyep. This is an album that goes above and beyond in showcasing the power of this music from South America and the intensity of delivery that they have mastered is exciting. Toss in a few surprises and you start to get a sense of just how good Xalpen are.
As a rule The Curse Of Kwanyep is 7 tracks of wonderfully intense black metal capped off by some interludes and a stunning cover of the Angeles Del Infierno classic Diabolica featuring *gasp* clean vocals! The end result though is a wonderfully articulate record that feels like a clear next step for Xalpen. This is their best sounding offering to date but not only that, it's a record that manages to maintain their kvlter than thou roots and the crippling intensity of the genre when executed at the highest level. Xalpen find a way, consistently, to terrify listeners with larger than life demonic sounds but also push the boundaries on their own oeuvre.
This is a record that I could see becoming a classic of Chilean black metal. It's been executed at a level that is a cut above many of their peers with an intensity that most acts all across the glove can't match. There is something gloriously satanic and wonderfully blasphemous about what Xalpen have done here and it's only going to get better with time. Xalpen unleash hell on every level of The Curse Of Kwanyep and it's on you to see if you can handle the madness. As is, this is an absolute firestorm, so dive in and let yourself get immolated!
Pre-order the album!
No comments:
Post a Comment