Krieg/Ruiner/Profound Lore Records/2023 Full Length Review

 

  

 Pennsylvania's  Krieg  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  a  merciless,  remorseless  and  despondent  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2023  album  "Ruiner"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by Profound  Lore  Records.

  

Dark  sounding  synths  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction which  also  utilizes  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  All  of  the  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem  while t he  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  A  couple  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  the  guitar  riffing  also  adding  in  a  good  amount  of  melody  at  times.  

  

   Growls  are  also  added  into  some  parts  of  the  music  as  well  as  adding  in  more  of  a  bestial  touch  and  the  solos  and  leads  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style, one  track  also  brings  in  more  of  a  war  metal  style  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  also  being  added  on  the  closing  song.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  horror,  suffering  and  philosophical  themes. 

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Krieg  and  if  you  are  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Fragments  Of  Nothing"  "Manifested  Ritual  Horror"  and  "The  Lantern  And  The  Key".  8  out  of  10.

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Krieg/Sono Lo Scherno/Inferna Profundus/2017 CD Re-Issue Review

  Krieg  are  a  band  from  New  Jersey  that  has  been  featured  plenty  of  times  before  in  this  zine  and  this  is  a  review  of  a  recording  that  was  originally  released  in  1998  and  displayed  a  more  raw  sound  than  what  was  to  be  featured  on  later  recordings  and  the  album  is  called  "Sono  Lo  Scherno"  and  was  re-issued  in  2017  by  Inferna  Profundus.

   Dark  ambient  style  synths  start  off  the  album  before  adding in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  which  also  leads  to  a  very  fast  and  raw  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  grim  and  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  classical  music  samples  are  also  used  briefly  along  with  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times.

 Spoken  word  samples  along  with  some  dark  ambient  elements  also  return   on  some  the  later  tracks  while  a  couple  of  the  later  songs  are  instrumentals  and  as  the  album  progresses  their  are  some  deep  and  demonic  vocals  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  bestial  feeling  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  Gregorian  chants,  acoustic  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  they  also  bring  in  a  cover  of  Nunslaughter's  "Power  Of  Darkness".

  On  this  recording  Krieg  played  a  style  of  black  metal  that  was  more  raw  and  lo-fi  than  their  later  releases  while  also  not  being  afraid  to  experimental  with  their  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  hate,  war,  destruction  and  blasphemous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  was  a  very great  sounding  recording  from  Krieg  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Knights  Of  The  Holocaust"  "Hallucinations  In  The  Withered  Eden" and  "Shadows  Of  The  Fallen  Kingdom".  8/5  out  of  10.

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The Body/Krieg/Self Titled/At A Loss Recordings/2015 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  an  album  where  Oregon's  sludge  metal  legends  team  up  with  the  legendary  United  States  black  metal  act  and  mix  their  2  different  style  together  to  create  something  very  original  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  collaboration  which  was  released  in  2015  by  At  A  Loss  Recordings.

  A  very  distorted  harsh  noise  reverb  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  sludge  a  few  seconds  alter  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  and  adds  in  high  pitched  screams  the  black  metal  elements  really  start  to  kick  in  and  the  vocals  also  get  very  depressive  and  suicidal  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  At  times  the  music  can  be  very  experimental  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length and  they  also  mix  in  a  lot  of  percussion's  and  elements  of  80's  industrial  and noise  rock  and  the  slower  riffs  are  very  heavily influenced  by  doom  metal  and  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  angry  sludge  style  shouts and  screams  and  there  is  also  a  brief use  of  synths  and  a  touch  of  funeral  doom  metal  as  the  album  progresses.

  The  Body  and  Krieg  take  the  black  and  sludge  metal  sounds  of  their  own  styles  and  mix  in  elements  of  noise,  industrial  and  experimental  to  create  something  that  is  very  different  from  both  of  the  groups  while  the  lo-fi  black  metal  elements  that  where  present  on t he  earlier  Krieg  material  is  actually  brought  into  the  music  at  times,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  depressive  and  angry  themes.

  In  my opinion  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  collaboration  from  Krieg  and  the  Body  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  both  bands  and  experimental  music,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Carved  In  And Caved  Out"  "Gallows"  and  "The  Final Nail".  8  out  of  10.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/the-body/334047229514

http://www.thebody.bandcamp.com

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http://www.kriegofficial.bandcamp.com     

Krieg/Transient/Candlelight Records/2014 CD Review

  Krieg  has  returned  with  a  new  album  which  shows  the  band  continuing  their  trademark  United  States  style  of  black  metal  while  also  continuing  to  experiment  and  try  new  things  with  their  music  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Transient"  which  will  be  released  in  September  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very  dark  drone  style  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  elements  of  noise  before  going  into  a  more  heavier  and  darker  musical  direction  which  slowly  evolves  into  more  of  a  raw  black  metal  direction  along  with  some  grim  screams  and  blast  beats  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts

  A  good  portion  of  the  music  on  this  recording  brings  back  and  old  school  feeling  to  black  metal  while  also  mixing  it  in  with  more  of  an  experimental  sound  at  times  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  the  vocals  go  into  a  deeper  direction  while  also  remaining  purely  in  a  blackened  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  the  energy  of  crust  punk  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  When  melodies  are  added  into  the  music  the  album  starts  evoking  more  of  a  dark  feeling  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  bringing  in  small  amounts  of  post  rock  and  shoegaze  which  do  not  water  down  the  bands  musical  sound,  on  the  7th  track  shouting  style  vocals  are  utilized  briefly  and  they  add  an  industrial  feeling  to  the  bands  raw  black  metal  sound  and  the  bass  guitars  also  have  a  very  powerful  sounding  presence  on  this  song  while  some  of  the  later  songs  have  more  of  a  post  punk  vibe  to  them  and  on  the  10th  track  more  drones  are  added  into  the  music  along  with  some  spoken  word  parts  and  acoustic  guitars  while  the  last  track  sees  the  band  returning  back  to  their  black  metal  roots

  Krieg  remain  true  to  their  black  metal  sound  while  also  being  even  more  experimental  this  time  around  and  creating  an  album  that  is  very  different  from  the  stuff  they  have  done  in  the  past  and  once  again  they  prove  you  can  being  very  original  without  losing  their  dark  approach  to  black  metal,  the  production  sounds very  dark  and  lo-fi  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark,  poetic  and  philosophical  themes.  

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Krieg  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Order  Of  The  Solitary  World"  "To  Speak  With  Ghosts"  "Walk  With  Them  Unnoticed"  and  "Gospel  Hand".  8  out  of  10.

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Krieg Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with Krieg these days?

Right now mostly getting things ready for two small mini tours in October and November and writing bonus tracks for the reissue of both of Krieg's first albums for Candlelight. Putting various logs in various fires for 2011 as well. Lots of plotting.

2. What was the music style that you where pushing for with the new album and how do you feel you achieved what you wanted to accomplish?

I don't really write with any specific style in mind, on the occasions that I've attempted this the songs mostly come out sounding flat and contrived. I just wanted to create something that was honest to the evolution of Krieg and I feel that this has been achieved well. Mostly having a large break allowed me more time to figure out equipment and sound manipulation differently than previous crimes.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that you have explored with the new album?

The whole record has a loose theme of past/present/future live tragedy and how they manifest emotionally, spiritually and, physically. A bleak vision of a life probably wasted. Real upbeat kind of shit.

4. The new album came out on Candlelight Records, what made you decide to pick this label for the new release?

In 2008 I sent out a batch of promos to labels. Candlelight responded and we began from there. I wanted a label that would be able to support how I felt Krieg should operate at that point in it's life. Thus far I'm very pleased with this cooperation.

5. Krieg took a long hiatus for a couple of years, what made you decide to reform this band after all these years and put out new Krieg releases?

I've been a part of many bands, projects etc for over fifteen years now but nothing is as creatively satisfying as Krieg. It's sort of the glue that (barely) holds me together. The first step was to take it live again with the initial mission to step away from twenty minute confrontation performances and try full forty five (or more) minute performances. After this worked out I revisited song ideas I'd been working on since 2005 and went from there.

6. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far since reuniting?

Earlier in September we played with Nightbringer and Profanatica in Clifton, NJ. As I am a huge fan of Profanatica this was definitely the high point for me playing live since reactivation. Also Providence, Rhode Island in 2009 was really great. Excellent crowd, good sound, very well put together. Not something I'm entirely used to with American shows.

7. What are some of the touring plans for the new album?

Mini tour for the US record release with label mates Woe for the east coast in October. Right now we're setting up a similar venture for the west coast with Noctuary for November. After that I've talked with people for some one off gigs and perhaps a return to Europe in 2011.

8. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

I won't know until I'm in the middle of recording them. Concepts and skeletons I have now could be completely rebuilt or erased and I don't have any real plans to go back into the studio until late 2011 or early 2012.

9. How has the reception been to your newer music by those that have heard it so far?

Generally positive. Some puzzling comparisons. Definitely the best response since "The Black House" was released for anything Krieg has recorded.

10. Any final words or thoughts before we close this interview?

The album will be released in North America October 26th. I still have lots of other things in the pipeline as well. Cheers for the support.

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Krieg/The Isolationist/Candlelight Records/2010 CD Review

  Krieg are a band from New Jersey that has been around since the 90's and are one of the most well known US black metal bands and this is a review of their comeback album "The Isolationist" which will be released by Candlelight Records.

Drums are mostly fast with a lot of brutal blast beats with some slow playing being used at times, while the bass playing sounds very powerful with a mixture of slow,fast and distorted riffs that bring a deep sound to the primal music on this recording, as for the synth it is only used briefly the enhance the dark nature of the music mixed in with some avant garde and experimental music influences.

Rhythm guitars are mostly fast primal black metal riffs that slow down at times and bring a doomy edge to the music that contains a small amount of melody at times, and there are no lead guitars or solos present on this album except for maybe a few seconds.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being used at times, while the lyrics touch on the corruptions of religion, hatred, depression and other dark themes, as for the production it is very raw sounding that makes the primal music sound much darker.

In my opinion this is a great comeback album from Krieg and if you are a fan of their previous albums you will not be disappointed. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "No Future" "All Paths To God" "Inhalation Decays" and "Dead Windows". RECOMMENDED BUY.

http://www.myspace.com/officialkrieg