Krallice - Diotima (2011) [Profound Lore] // Grade: A

NYC black metal and I don’t get along too well, unless it’s Krallice. Over the years, Krallice has been honing their sound and after two successful albums, Krallice and Dimensional Bleedthrough, the band has created a great album entitled Diotima.

Where do I begin with their sound? The initial track, “_” sounds much like their earlier work: tremelo picking, blast beats and endless loops of chaotic bliss but there’s something different now. In Diotima, the lead singer’s vocals have begun to take dominance over the tracks. But it’s not the typical black metal vocal stylings, they’re more akin to death metal and they compliment the fast-paced chaotic sound perfectly. There’s a power behind the music now and the dainty presence their music has had in previous albums is now irrelevant.

Just listen to “Inhume” for a key example, it’s fucking kick-ass! Same goes for “The Clearing”, another quasi-artsy composition that would normally be too shoe-gazey for my taste but the vocals just balance it all out. The title track “Diotima” is a bit slower and more epic than the other tracks. One slight critique of Diotima is the way most of the songs begin. They all start with the same reverb but the beast that lies sleeping is about to awaken.

The best song Krallice has ever produced is “Litany Of Regrets” and it’s not even necessarily black metal in my opinion. When the reverb and riffage overlap in such a way, it’s almost experimental noise. Here’s where they fucking nail it on the head. Still, after listening to this track over a dozen times, I get goosebumps. It’s brutally epic and is prolly one of the best USBM songs I’ve ever heard. FUCK YES. The one track that splits the constant, ever-present black beat and riff combination is “Telluric Rings” and it balances the album out perfectly, whereas before their songs all bled together.

As Diotima ends with “Dust And Light”, Krallice embarks on a new journey. Long gone are the shrilling vocals and art-school vibes of their earlier work. The new Krallice is powerful, more skilled and fucking delivering solid USBM for NYC and beyond. The tell-all sign will be how much their live performance has improved. THAT I want to see! Highly recommended, pick this shit up and support NYC BLACK METAL!

- Prolly