KRIEG – The Isolationist CD
Candlelight Records
It’s safe to say that over the past decade USBM has come into its own respectfulness to the point where you won’t even hear a Norwegian snicker anymore. Although with a variety of styles going for it which has made it hard to nail down sub genres, the USBM scene can be separated into three categories. They are underground/cult, mainstream and hipster, which is a damm far cry from the days of kvlt, troo and false. KRIEG are thankfully of the former, the underground/cult, and hail from my birthplace of New Jersey, despite rumors to the contrary that I appeared out of the Black Forest circa 1318. Since the late nineties KRIEG, aka Lord Imperial and a revolving door of backing musicians, has been the most creative when it comes to putting out releases (full lengths, EPs and Splits) consistently. Although they’ve put out a few splits since, the last full length was 2006’s Blue Miasma which was something of a depressive departure from the band’s former brutality. Since then Lord Imperial has been constructing this new one in the hopes that it would raise some spirits, his and hopefully fans.
When I first learned that Candlelight Records was putting this out I thought it was a misprint. Nothing against Candlelight of course but it’s a step up for KRIEG and might imply a “comeback” of sorts. After a few blasts of The Isolationist I’d say it is, although what Lord Imperial has conjured up from the depths of his mind to display here is definitely sick and twisted, it’s also slightly polished. Even with the shine, The Isolationist is a great release as far as modern black metal standards go in 2010. It’s not as necro as say The Black House but that was 2003 and as much as I’m known to be a stickler against sweeping progressiveness, on here it’s not always the case. On “Photographs of the Asylum” there’s an unnerving sense of desolation and despair which harkens back to KRIEG’s past. It’s as if Lord Imperial is channeling painful past memories as an influence which drags the listener into the pit of violent despair. It’s definitely one of my favorite tracks on here. The song “Ambergeist” is another impressive track which starts off brutally horrific and ends with the black n roll style which was last touched upon on the Blue Miasma full length. “Depakote” is another captivating track that draws you in slowly as it starts off like a blackened doom of a snail’s crawl. Suddenly it switches to full on brutality with blasts intense enough to crack the lead paint on your walls. It then switches to some psyched out chamber of horrors bad trip only to revert back to the blasting then outro doom.
One good note about the polishing this has is that Lord Imperial sounds far more menacing with his vocals. Listening to the screams during “Blue of Noon”, with its added dread of a guitar tone, you could imagine a forest clearing itself of all wildlife out of fear. Not all is on here is dominated by pain. At times this does become an endurance test for those who expect more that blood curdling intensity. Some cuts like “Decaying Inhalations” and “All Paths to God” seem to drag on while the experimental doses of noise, ala “Remission” and “Religion III” sound like filler tracks. Be that as it may, just like past releases by KRIEG, this one is not to be shared but savored preferably late at night.
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