Belarusian black metal band Krvvla has been around since 2015, but the last few years have brought some significant changes to their raw and dissonant approach. Over the course of one album and four EPs the band has explored harsh and dissonant soundscapes through a fully instrumental approach, but that changed in 2019 with the addition of vocalist A.G. With the addition of vocals the music has only seemed to get faster and more chaotic, as their sophomore full length X moves through walls of dissonant blasting that seems to twist and turn every minute. It’s a harsh blast that will likely leave listeners feeling bruised and battered by the end of the twenty-six-minute run time, and while Krvvla still has room to balance out their attack with moments that truly stick with you there’s still plenty here to make this worth the ride.
X is bookended by some genuinely unsettling and ominous sounding intros and outros, as rather than launching right into their blasting and chaotic riffing you instead get some nightmarish soundscapes that have more of a dark ambient feel and could’ve been ripped right out of a horror movie soundtrack. The remainder of the material goes for black metal that emphasizes plenty of blasting and dissonant riffing, channeling equal amounts of second-wave Norwegian influence and elements that are reminiscent of French bands like Antaeus. Songs tend to ebb and flow between these chaotic and abrasive moments where the instrumentation is going as fast as possible and channeling the blitzkrieg approach of a band like Marduk or 1349 and more dissonant and atmospheric passages. At times there’s also a bit of post hardcore fluidity added into the mix, bringing to mind other recent entries into this dissonant and chaotic branch of black metal like Serpent Column. It’s an appealing combination, as the dense and dirty bass tone combined with the dissonance of the guitars makes it feel like you’re drowning in a thick fog and murky sludge at the same time, and there’s a precision to the performance that stands out. Where Krvvla does falter slightly is in their ability to vary up how they attack and when they pause to let the atmosphere seep in more, as individual moments tend to run together over repeat listens. There are some notable exceptions, such as the flurry of abrasive riffing on “XVII” which gives off a distinctive Aosoth or Antaeus vibe to me and makes the most of the dissonance, but a few more tweaks would make individual passages stick with listeners as much as the entire experience. Given how utterly creepy the intro/outro are, I could also see some opportunity for the band to implement these types of sounds directly into the black metal to give them some additional distinguishing features in the future.
The guitar, bass, and drums may all work in tandem to create a harsh and desolate environment for listeners, but the vocals are what push X into genuinely terrifying territory. I mentioned earlier that the intro and outro are creepy and nightmarish, and this is amplified by the vocal work which uses whispers on the intro and screeching on the outro that sounds like an owl being consumed by a demon. When it comes to the performance on the remaining material, there’s a pretty wide variety of pitches that are all focused on having enough force to tear through your skin. Whether this equates to higher pitched screams and shrieks that bring in some slight hardcore influence or monstrous growls, there’s a lot to take in over the course of the album. “XV” proves to be a highlight thanks to some guest vocals from Ksenia Kundenko from Supruga, but there are plenty of other moments that stand out thanks to how forceful the screaming is.
X finds Krvvla in a state of transition, as now that they have brought in a vocalist they’ve experimented with shorter track lengths and different song structures when compared to their last few EPs. Their dissonant and chaotic approach to black metal is a wild ride, sometimes bringing to mind some of the hardcore leaning elements that bands like Serpent Column brought to the genre recently. Where they still have room to grow is in finding a balance between the blasting dissonance and creepy atmosphere, as the intro and outro prove that they can be just as sinister sounding and get under your skin when slowing things down. If you’re in the mood for an unrelenting and quick burst of black metal this is worth a listen, but it seems like the best is still to come for Krvvla and they’ll be one to watch in the next few years. X is available from Brucia Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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