Krallice | |
|---|---|
 Mick Barr atthe Stone in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Black metal,experimental metal |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Profound Lore Records, Gilead Media |
| Members | Mick Barr Colin Marston Lev Weinstein Nick McMaster |
| Website | krallice |
Krallice is an Americanblack metal band from theWoodhaven, Queens neighborhood ofNew York City. Formed in 2007 by musiciansColin Marston andMick Barr, they play anexperimental, highly technical style of black metal.[1]
In 2008, the band added bassist Nick McMaster and drummer Lev Weinstein. The band has released fifteen studio albums and three EPs, most recently the LPInorganic Rites on July 5, 2024. They have been described as "one of the most interesting, engaging black metal bands to emerge in recent years" and "one of the most important bands in modern black metal".[2][3]
Krallice was by formed by Colin Marston and Mick Barr in 2007, in Marston's recording studio named Menegroth located in theWoodhaven, Queens neighborhood ofNew York City.[4] Barr said in an interview that "Colin and I had talked about trying to do a black metal record together with no real plans of making it sound good or even releasing it, but as we were writing the music we kind of let it take its own shape. And we liked it more than we expected to."[2] They later recruited Lev Weinstein on drums and Nicholas McMaster on bass and second vocalist. They released their debut full length albumKrallice in 2008 throughProfound Lore to critical acclaim.[1] Bass on this album was performed by Barr and Marston, while McMaster learned the bass parts and performed additional vocals.
They released their second full-length albumDimensional Bleedthrough in November 2009 through Profound Lore and Gilead Media. The album received critical praise and was featured on a number of end-of-year lists.[5] Around this time, Marston joined the Canadian death metal bandGorguts, Barr was working on music with Barr-Nevai, and Weinstein began working withBloody Panda. They returned with their third full-length albumDiotima in April 2011.AllMusic wrote that "At their best, they're an overwhelming sonic force, and Diotima is their best album to date."[6] Later that year they released a single titled "Traditional", as well as the cover EPOrphans of Sickness.
Krallice independently released their fourth full-length albumYears Past Matter in August 2012.[7]Pitchfork described it as the most "relentless" and "unforgiving" album to date, and "a daunting, rewarding hour that calls for complete immersion."[8]Invisible Oranges wrote that the album "incorporates the playful and bleak elements from their previous two releases to showcase a newfound restraint that speaks to a group perfecting their craft. The complex melody lines still carry their signature density but are delivered with the discovered finesse of a seasoned and well-maintained machine. There's an obvious scaling back, most notably on the intro to “IIIIIIIIII”, but their unerring tug-of-war between obscure chaos and blissful resolution seems even more heightened than previous efforts."[9]
Following a period of quiet as the band members pursued their other projects, the band released their fifth full-length albumYgg Huur on July 30, 2015. The album's release was not announced in advance, and was named after a three-piece suite by Italian composerGiacinto Scelsi.[10] The album received extremely positive reviews from many music critics. SPIN gave the album 8/10, describing it as "the band's most outwardly tortured material since their 2008 debut, when their take on black metal structures was still relatively straightforward."[11] The album's style has been compared to Gorguts,Deathspell Omega, andAltar of Plagues.[12] They followed this with the EPHyperion on January 1, 2016.[13] The material for this EP was written in 2013 for a split release that never materialised, and has been noted to represent a stylistic middle-ground betweenYears Past Matter andYgg Huur.
Krallice plays a form ofprogressive, highly technicalblack metal somewhat similar in style to that ofWeakling andWolves in the Throne Room. The band's music features dense multi-tracked guitars often performing fast, precise tremolo-picked guitar passages.[14] The band make frequent use of long, complex song structures. The earlier material drew more heavily on early black metal bands such asBurzum,Gorgoroth, andUlver, though over time the band have significantly expanded their sound beyond those early influences.[15] While they originally opted for a lo-fi approach to production (as is traditional in black metal), Colin Marston said that "Our music was too dense to come across successfully with a low-fi approach. So instead, I decided to do a full-on 2" tape, everything multi-mic'ed, layered, and carefully mixed production."[2]
