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Blliigghhtted - Kosmoskampf review



Reviewer:
8.0

3 users:
6.33
Band: Blliigghhtted
Album: Kosmoskampf
Release date: December 2015


01. Laughing Siblings
02. In Absu's Absent Presence
03. And Tiamat's Present Absence
04. Nephesous

I must be honest: I really can't stand the holiday season. Not only is it a time where I have to interact with family members that I'd otherwise never see for the other 51 or so weeks out of the year, but house decorating and gift getting also leads to me taking time away from reviewing interesting albums that I'd otherwise be hearing about and listening to via the Metal Storm base. So as I'm severing the Christmas lights with a chainsaw and pouring kerosene on my tree, I think it's finally time to start spinning Blliigghhted's Kosmoskampf.

It was my partner in crime Mr. Doctor who I first got the tip from about Blliigghhtted, a curious new black metal band on the block from Turkey. Much like their debut and sophomore albums, Kosmoskampf sees Blliigghhtted employing a brand of black metal that can best be described as thunderous, with a very dense, abrasive guitar, pummeling drums with a wonderful tone, and the lower-range vocals of frontman Chaoscunt dominating. Overall, it's a compositional technique that adds a great amount of heaviness to the music. Interestingly enough, this heaviness manifests itself both in faster, more ferocious passages ("And Tiamat's Present Absence") as well as slower ones that carry a more hypnotizing vibe, topped off by the excellent use of clean vocals ("Laughing Siblings"). Clearly, Blliighhtted are quite comfortable with manipulating mood with their material.

Undeniably, what lends the most power to the "Bliigghhtted sound" is the production, and it's perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of Kosmoskampf. These guys are quite a fine example of how the dirtier, rawer production that black metal is often known for can work not necessarily to a band's detriment, but to their benefit. Gritty and harsh, the production here almost makes one feel as if they're wandering through a thick, dark layer of mist, and it reinforces both the weight of the music but also its overall perplexing vibe. Because there's actually more going on here on a compositional level than one might think: shifts in tempo, vocal delivery, drum patterns, and guitar playing abound. Yet because of the gritty production, these subtle complexities aren't always that easy to pick out, which cloaks Kosmoskampf in a tantalizing aura of mystery. You know there's something going on here at a deeper level than first impressions suggest... you're just not quite sure what it is. But the desire to figure it out is crucial to what makes this album so alluring.

Forming only very recently, in 2014, Blliigghhtted have already put out 5 releases, and taking that into consideration one may be tempted to think that the band are a case of "quantity over quality." Yet if one needed something to clear up that skepticism about the band, Kosmoskampf is likely it, and it demonstrates that Blliigghhtted have not only come to create a sound that is (relatively) original, but that they're also starting to finesse it. Because while Kosmoskampf may not be much of a deviation from the band's previous efforts, it is most definitely the natural continuation of them, only continuing to build upon their foundations. And it's that sort of consistency that is the mark of a promising band with both vision and potential.

Listen here, and keep your eye on these guys if you enjoy. They're a group to watch for sure.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 8
Production: 9





Written on 05.01.2016 by Metal Storm’s own Babalao. Comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable since 2013.



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