Really find Krallice to be one of the most interesting bands to listen to composition-wise. I think Years Past Matter as a whole is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written.
I just got to a point where the music that resonates with me and it makes me calm is Krallice, DsO, Ulcerate, Imperial Triumphant etc. Opposite from you i think it takes my anxiety away but i agree it's not something people would enjoy without having listened to a LOT to appreciate the state of mind you approach immersing in it. The key to this music is to chug more and more until it clicks with you it's kinda like your studying for years until you understand every meaning and intention.
I get it completely. This kind of music calms me down. People think it makes you hyper and angry, but for me, it "draws out the anger". Same with listening the Slayer's "Reign in Blood." Total calming affect on me.
Nice! I love Krallice. Saw them live for their Dimensional Bleedthrough album (Which is the album that this song is on). Colin Marston, a guitarist, has a long history of weird metal, first notable for Behold... The Arctopus. They do very strange, dissonant, technically challenging metal. Mick Barr is another guitarist here with an odd metal background (Octis/Ocrilim). The bassist, Nick McMaster, wrote a black metal album with the drummer, Lev Weinstein, where it was just the two of them; drums, bass, and vocals. That was called Geryon. Everyone in this band loves music that breathes fresh air into existing genres. Really creative folks. Also, Colin Marston has his own studio, Menegroth: The Thousand Caves. He has a huge resume of albums under his belt.
Another really great avant-garde/experimental black metal band is Blut Aus Nord, I think you'll enjoy them, depending on the tracks, but I'm not the best to recommend which one haha, I don't know all of their discography, if anybody knows be free to suggest a track.
Blut Aus Nord's sound has changed over the past 25 years, so it's kind of an opinion thing. Like, what era do you prefer? I also haven't listened to all of it, but I've listened to like 4 albums and all of them were unique in their own way, but still very Blut Aus Nord.
One of the best black metal projects. Anything from the Memoria Vetusta series are my favourites, although the direction they took on the new album, Hallucinogen, is really exciting. However, if we're arbitrarily choosing the band's longest song, as that seems to be what we do here, then I believe that's Epitome IV from the 777 - Sects album.
@@CriticalReactions hated them at first, but over the past 5 years they’ve become my favorite band of all time lol. It just took some time for me to learn the compositional language (is that a term?) of their music
Idk what to say, I mean, it's maybe not a casual listen exacty, 18 minutes is pretty long even in the world of avant-garde black metal, but I'm very used to this kind of stuff, so for me it was genuinely just a pleasant experience. Listening to something like this is EXACTLY what I would do after a long day to relax haha! At first I would've said that this is definitely on that more pleasant, athmospheric, etherial side of Black Metal that just envelops you in a vast, tightly woven carpet of sound... but they did change it up quite a bit, making it very emotionally ambigious and yea, kind of anxiety-inducing at times, at least in terms of some of the long, dissonant melodic developments. The overall sound, texture, drumming and level of intensity is pretty standard for the genre, though. I guess you just get used to the density of the sound over time? To me it's not too exhausting or oppressive at all, if anything it kind of has this soothing effect on me like continuous background noise or just white noise, where it can actually increase your level of concentration in some circumstances. So yea, that's my perspective as somewhat "experienced" listener of this kind of music^^
More or less my take on this too. Those chord progressions are absolutely gorgeous, especially the dissonant ones. Need I say they’re one of my favorite bands?
Krallice was definitely a labor of love for me to get into. I've found them to be such a rewarding listen over time though. Still have to really listen to anything they put out a few times before I really appreciate it and that's ok. I love the "tightly woven carpet of sound" description, that's perfect.
I fucking love Krallice. The way the stringed instruments push and pull at each other like Hydra heads, the odd harmonies and melodies, it's like crack for me. I understand that it can be overwhelming but I enjoy how relentless it is. That being said, the music on their first few albums is all of a similar mold -- nothing's going to change your mind too much if you don't like the style at all. If you ever feel like coming back to them, "Diotima" or the first track off of Years Past Matter is probably a good bet.
Krallice and Kayo Dot in one week... Wow. Thank you. Sincerely, one of those people who casually listens to Krallice. You just listened to a track off their second album. Their fourth album, Years Past Matter showcases a change in their sound. Then again with their 6th album, Ygg Hurr, they begin to show what they've become today. An avant-garde powerhouse. I would recommend listening to their tracks Khronos Deposed and Lotus Throne
You know, funnily enough, I discovered this song through this reaction and I have been obsessed over it ever since. I listen to it in pretty much every situation, including relaxing from college or even going to sleep (though that outro really sucks for that lmao). As to why I love it so much, man, I don't know, and it's really sparking my curiosity. Luckily, I've been allowed to pick experimental black metal as my end of study thesis, so I'm gonna be exploring that o/
First of all, exploring BM for a study these is incredibly metal. I wish you the best with that! Second, man this song. It's been two years since I heard it and my metal ears have developed a lot since then so maybe my experience with it will be more forgiving on a second time around. But given what I remember it still strikes me as odd how people could relax to this. I get the concept of it -- all that static sort of fading into a white noise kinda background thing for meditating or whatever -- but still.....I could never do it. Be sure to let us/me know about your thesis when you finish it, especially if you find anything interesting in your research. I'm just as curious as you 😁
When it comes to Colin Marston(he is the guitarist in Krallice)there are a lot of things to say.He is kinda advanced musician in metal scene(he play bass in Gorguts,Behold the Arctopus etc)I really recommand you some Behold The Arctopus songs which are experimental/Avant-Garde kind of death metal, you will definitely not regret it.
I literally started laughing out loud for the duration of a whole song when I first started listening to these guys because it’s so relentless and suffocating. It’s so absolutely absurd but somehow makes complete sense to me. I typically don’t like black metal like this but these guys are doing something unique. Anything that can make me laugh like that is staying in my life. I don’t know about you but I need a good laugh. I agree this can fatigue the ear but when those little reprieves show up they are that much more impactful and creates a weird space of peace amongst the chaos. It’s funny you mentioned you would probably never listen to this again, I thought that when I first heard these guys but that raw reaction I have to it wether it’s repulsion or attraction keeps bringing me back to them. Demonic Wealth takes the style in a new direction that balances things much better so it doesn’t pulverize your eardrums into ground beef….brilliant band. This is rare, I watched the whole video because I love what this band can do to people. Great reaction bro…
That very well could be. At the time this was also the heaviest thing I had heard so I was under-equipped both to understand it and to speak on it. I don't know that I'd have more to say about it today but I think I would be more receptive to what it is doing.
Instead of longing for the larger change or a respite from the thick soundscape, I feel right at home in it. This is how its supposed to be, and the smaller ways they change things or create variations let me explore those from the "baseline" of the wall of sound.
I still recommend listening to the first track off of their album Years Past Matter. That album is the perfect balance between their more recent techy/spastic material and their early repetitive material. Lots of change ups in that song, but very carefully composed.
i love how you phrased it : "i kind of want this to change for my sake, but also i dont want it to change because it would ruin the identity of the song" or smth like that. I went through multiple stages listening to this : "ah, this is nice", then "this is getting kind of repetitive" then "my ears are asking me to leave" then "... i feel... anxious" edit : that last crescendo gave me more than chills. It made me close my eyes and made my whole body shake on my chair. And as much as i did not enjoy it, i can FEEL this experience in my bones. Woah.
Reminds me of the oppressiveness that you get with Swans sometimes, but I feel like with Swans their tracks are more of a journey and have more dynamics. So while Swans may hammer away on a chord for like 5-10 minutes straight there's usually a quieter or ambient part, or a payoff jam.
Swans is definitely more dynamic - you can differentiate the instruments far more easily, and notice the small changes as a song progresses to keep you hooked in. Speaking of, I'd love to see a reaction to The Hanging Man or Sunfucker.
Dude! YES! Colin from Gorguts on guitar! Krallice has some awesome riffing ;) I still want to see your reaction to some Lye By Mistake or The Red Chord! Sorry I don't have money for patreon!
For my money, Krallice is one of the most out there bands in terms of experimentation and putting forward that idea of overwhelming chaos. If you wanna check a shorter song, go for IIIIIII from the album Years Past Matters.
I'm discovering a lot of new groups in your channel. Congrats for your work. I appreciate that you take requests directly form patreon even if i'm enjoying or not the song, it doesn't matter xd.
This is exactly what I love about (symphonic/atmospheric/depressive suicidal) Black Metal, it's mostly less about musical technicalities, finesse, outstanding composition or anything else in that direction. It's about evoking certain emotions within the listener. One of my favourite in this regards is "Wenn die Last untragbar Scheint" (when the burden seems unbearable) by Klage der Nacht. I'm almost certain that you will enjoy this one a bit more as it's not as relentless as the song you just reacted to, but I also doubt you'll love it.
What you said at the end about tuning out during the song because of how oppressive it is; that makes complete sense to me. I think for a song like this some people listen to it in the back of the brain so to speak, as a musical backdrop for whatever their doing. The composition is exhausting with no breaks, resolutions or dynamic structure changes, so it can exist as a sort of white noise for those who want it. That's not to say that's the only way to listen to it, just my insight.
Totally dig Krallice... This style of music might not be your thing though lol. Relentless tremolo picking guitars and blast beats for minutes straight is pretty common in most black metal songs that you hear. Also wanted to point out that one of the guitar players in this band is also a fantastic bassist/composer by the name of Colin Marston. He plays in quite a few other groups as well such as Gorguts. He's most known for this band called Behold... The Arctopus, who are about as avant garde metal as it gets. I totally recommend them since you gave Gorguts a listen. EDIT: Also since you listened to these guys, and going along with your point about dynamics in music, try out Dream House by Deafheaven. It's definitely much of the same as Krallice with trem guitars and wall of noise, but they have softer moments in their music that makes the heavier moments more impactful.
You need to check Deathspell Omega for mind bending black metal riffs :D or Ulcerate (it's death metal, maybe if you happen to do a reaction do it of a drumcam video, because that drumming, oh boy... it's crazy). Other great band to check out is Artificial Brain.
Never heard of this group. The counterpoint bass in the intro is crazy. It was like the bassist asked what key and then started doing his own thing. Interesting band. The bass gave some slight uncomfortability throughout the second section while the guitar confirmed it a few times with some weird notes. Nice touch. I enjoyed it but felt the same. I wanted a break during some of the sections. They caught my attention. Not sure if I’ll like them but something that’s so weird that you have to dive back in.
their bassist also writes music for "behold... the arctopus" which is one of the weirdest bands i´ve ever heard, check them out if you´re interested. (I´d recommend their album "skullgrid")
@@renzo3939 It's one of the guitarists (Colin Marston) that writes for Behold (and 20 other bands). The bassist is also in Geryon and a couple other projects. The other guitarist Mick Barr has another 20 bands he's been/currently a part of. The drummer is also in like 5 bands--one time they did a 2.5 hour tag team in NY with all of the drummer's bands trading off to see if he'd get so tired to quit (spoiler alert: he didn't).
I love krallice! Your reaction when the song ended makes me love krallice even more. Great video, maybe try some of their other music, perhaps you would like it.
This is one of my favorite songs of all time. I'm one of those that listen to this casually, probably 500 times. This is not an easy starting point for Krallice, they are a challenging band. Try reacting to the last track on Years Past Matter, the 16 minute one. It's slightly more accessible, but that's not saying much with this band.
ryan holschuh they really do have some of the most blissful chords and harmonies in all metal. Dimensional Bleedthrough is absolutely in my top 10 albums of all time.
Hey, I have been watching all of your videos for a while and discovered quite a few bands and really enjoy your analysis. I had to comment on this because I am a huge metal head who listens to quite a lot of black metal and for me this is exactly what I want to listen to when I come back from work. Not really what I would suggest as a starting point to black metal as I completely understand your viewpoint. I would be interested in you checking out more black metal, but maybe more in the atmospheric black metal subgenre. A few recommended bands you might find interesting (sorry for the lack of songs... I only ever listing to full albums and can't remember song names): Vallendusk, Wodensthrone, Wolves in the Throne Room, Drudkh, Fen, Enshine, Saor. I also would like you to listen to more power metal, but that list would be too long for a comment here. I need to checkout your patreon soon and recommend a song!
Honestly this is perfect for relaxation. Huge enough to pull you away but slow enough in its development that you're not chasing after it. Anyway, next time you're in the market for an 18 minute black metal track I'd recommend "I Will Lay My Bones Among the Rocks and Roots" by Wolves in the Throne Room. It's more traditionally dynamic and is just a really pretty track.
The guy started you off on a tough one lul. But that's kinda the point of that stuff - it tells a story of pain and war so you're supposed to feel like you got kicked in the brain. It's exhilarating. You should have a go at Akhlys: Breath and Levitation. It's like an actual nightmare, I love it.
I do agree with some of the commenters that this isn't the best starting point for Krallice, as it is quite monotonous and has less in the way of dynamics. Tbh idk why I recommended it lol, not much thought went into that decision. Now I think I'd have rather proposed "Wretched Wisdom" over this, though from your reaction I wouldn't expect you to find it palatable either, but it does showcase more of what they're capable of. Also I kind off felt bad seeing you get tortured through it all, sorry about that :( And I totally get it, it is very draining to me too, but I keep coming back for some reason. There's something about it that allures me. Anyways I enjoyed your insight, and promise to recommend something more entertaining next time, hope you have a nice day :)
Don't worry about it. It was certainly a tough listen but music, especially artistic music, is designed to evoke emotion and this certainly did. Just because it was hard to listen to doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it in some capacity. In the end I'm glad that I experienced it.
Id actually listen to this to relax but i think the only downside is the lack of variation in the speed of the drumming. Everything else actually felt somewhat standard.
Krallice is part of this new school "art" black metal acts like Wolves in the Throneroom or my personal favorite Liturgy. But I think we can safely say you will simultaneously respect & hate a lot of Black Metal: there's a lot of it that is just like this: relentlessly abrasive and testing endurance by going for repetition until it becomes ambience so if you ever do a Black Metal week (But not sure you should try a full week given your reaction) definitively names like Burzum and Darkthrone should be on your short list.
This was.... A lot. For black metal with an experimental/prog flair I'd do a song of Prometheus from Emperor. Tad more approachable Or The prog thrash band Vektor (black metal influence).
my apologies to Talal A B but this was noooot one of the best Krallice tracks to start with, I ADORE this band but god you should have started with Autochthon, Years Past Matter track 1, or The Clearing from the first half of their discog or Over Spirit, Lotus Throne, or Etemenanki from the second half. This band has an incredible amount of technical ability and this song choice kind of only scratched the surface of that
Not for me. I can see why people would like it as a meditative experience. My question would be why or how you would write this. Are there any particular interviews by black metal writers anyone could recommend talking about the writing process.
Shaking my head right now before I've even watched the video....Krallice is one of my favorite ever bands but this is the worst starting point (with one of their longest songs and honestly least dynamic). Yes I'm one of those weirdos who casually listens to Krallice after a long day. :) I still love this song so much, but I would have started someone off with "Dimensional Bleedthrough" or "Energy Chasms" to see what the band is more about. There's more of an evolution of structure in those songs. Still appreciate your unvarnished opinion regardless, even though you didn't like it. I think you hit the main points anyways, like seeing it as art-house music; in that vein I see this band as closer to Kayo Dot than something more black-metal.
With all due respect and appreciation for the composition and skills, it felt to me like an awesome black metal jam that was caputred very well and put out there. The dissonant, chaotic moments and the bass stood out the most to me as the elements that bring you down to ground while most of the song takes the mind elsewhere, into some sort of heights or depths. The mix is kinda off. Whether intentional or not, I think mastering this song and balancing everything properly will definitely impove the experience. The only thing I wouldn't change is the vocals sounding distant. That's very common in black metal to evoke emotions of despair and loneliness. Depending on the execution, it might even send chills down your spine :)
I have a love/hate relationship with black metal. I despise a good chunk of it--Burzum, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Marduk, and similar--and really don't understand the appeal of such cheaply made/recorded noise. However, there are a few black metal bands that are among my favorite bands, period: Emperor, Deathspell Omega, Immortal, Alcest and Weakling are the big ones. I think what the latter bands have is both superior technical and compositional skills and greater sonic variety, rather than what this track (and so much BM) does, which is create a wall-of-buzzsaws sound and sit on it interminably. FWIW, I've heard from some BM fans that they find that sound has a comforting, atmospheric, ASMR-like quality to it. I don't get it, but I don't get ASMR in general either. I did make it through all 20 minutes, but I'm pretty immune to this sound by now. I have heard of Krallice but never listened to them. Don't intend to after this. If I had to recommend some good black metal: Emperor - The Eruption Immortal - Withstand the Fall of Time Alcest - Les voyages de l’âme Deathspell Omega - Kenose Weakling - Dead as Dreams Dissection - Where Dead Angels Lie
I knew the name Krallice but never really checked. Wow. What a burden of a song, I understand why it's labelled black metal, you can really feel its crushing heavyness, diluted in melody and dissonance. I suppose it's a similar vibe to Imperial Triumphant, although IT has more interesting drum parts... On a second thought this song is like watching the landscape while you're sitting in a train, for a fatiguingly long trip
While I enjoy all their stuff, this was an awful Krallice song to start with. You should listen to something like "Go Be Forgotten", "Inhume" or anything from the album "Years Past Matter". Those are more focused songs and better examples of how awesome this band is.
This was 4 years ago. I think I could stomach this today and that's entirely due to exposure and better understanding the style. Black Metal still isn't my favorite genre but I get it a lot more than I did back then. I think that's something people forget is that most people don't wake up with the ability to stomach, much less enjoy, more abrasive musics; whether that's extreme metal, complex classical, free jazz, or hyperpop. It takes time to attune one's ears. And comments like yours aren't conducive to helping people with that transition. There's some entitlement mixed with gatekeeping and it sucks, both for art in general but also for listeners. Comments like that dissuade people from learning to enjoy some types of metal, replacing excitement with contempt and viewing fans of such genres as toxic. I'd think twice before I commented something similar again.
Really find Krallice to be one of the most interesting bands to listen to composition-wise. I think Years Past Matter as a whole is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written.
I just got to a point where the music that resonates with me and it makes me calm is Krallice, DsO, Ulcerate, Imperial Triumphant etc. Opposite from you i think it takes my anxiety away but i agree it's not something people would enjoy without having listened to a LOT to appreciate the state of mind you approach immersing in it. The key to this music is to chug more and more until it clicks with you it's kinda like your studying for years until you understand every meaning and intention.
What is DsO?
@@EaglehawkMoonfang Deathspell Omega my brother in christ
Oranssi Pazuzu, My brother
I get it completely. This kind of music calms me down. People think it makes you hyper and angry, but for me, it "draws out the anger". Same with listening the Slayer's "Reign in Blood." Total calming affect on me.
Nice! I love Krallice. Saw them live for their Dimensional Bleedthrough album (Which is the album that this song is on). Colin Marston, a guitarist, has a long history of weird metal, first notable for Behold... The Arctopus. They do very strange, dissonant, technically challenging metal. Mick Barr is another guitarist here with an odd metal background (Octis/Ocrilim). The bassist, Nick McMaster, wrote a black metal album with the drummer, Lev Weinstein, where it was just the two of them; drums, bass, and vocals. That was called Geryon. Everyone in this band loves music that breathes fresh air into existing genres. Really creative folks.
Also, Colin Marston has his own studio, Menegroth: The Thousand Caves. He has a huge resume of albums under his belt.
Another really great avant-garde/experimental black metal band is Blut Aus Nord, I think you'll enjoy them, depending on the tracks, but I'm not the best to recommend which one haha, I don't know all of their discography, if anybody knows be free to suggest a track.
Also, of course Deathspell Omega. Kénôse or something from Paracletus like Abscission or Malconfort.
Blut Aus Nord's sound has changed over the past 25 years, so it's kind of an opinion thing. Like, what era do you prefer? I also haven't listened to all of it, but I've listened to like 4 albums and all of them were unique in their own way, but still very Blut Aus Nord.
100% anything from Memoria Vetusta II
One of the best black metal projects. Anything from the Memoria Vetusta series are my favourites, although the direction they took on the new album, Hallucinogen, is really exciting.
However, if we're arbitrarily choosing the band's longest song, as that seems to be what we do here, then I believe that's Epitome IV from the 777 - Sects album.
Loved watching your facial expression change over the course of the song man, I had a similar reaction the first time I heard this song
I wonder if I'd have the same reaction now being more acquainted with this style of music.
@@CriticalReactions hated them at first, but over the past 5 years they’ve become my favorite band of all time lol. It just took some time for me to learn the compositional language (is that a term?) of their music
Idk what to say, I mean, it's maybe not a casual listen exacty, 18 minutes is pretty long even in the world of avant-garde black metal, but I'm very used to this kind of stuff, so for me it was genuinely just a pleasant experience. Listening to something like this is EXACTLY what I would do after a long day to relax haha!
At first I would've said that this is definitely on that more pleasant, athmospheric, etherial side of Black Metal that just envelops you in a vast, tightly woven carpet of sound... but they did change it up quite a bit, making it very emotionally ambigious and yea, kind of anxiety-inducing at times, at least in terms of some of the long, dissonant melodic developments.
The overall sound, texture, drumming and level of intensity is pretty standard for the genre, though. I guess you just get used to the density of the sound over time? To me it's not too exhausting or oppressive at all, if anything it kind of has this soothing effect on me like continuous background noise or just white noise, where it can actually increase your level of concentration in some circumstances.
So yea, that's my perspective as somewhat "experienced" listener of this kind of music^^
More or less my take on this too. Those chord progressions are absolutely gorgeous, especially the dissonant ones. Need I say they’re one of my favorite bands?
Krallice is def good for long drives.
Krallice was definitely a labor of love for me to get into. I've found them to be such a rewarding listen over time though. Still have to really listen to anything they put out a few times before I really appreciate it and that's ok. I love the "tightly woven carpet of sound" description, that's perfect.
Yeah dude imo Monolith is a really happy song lol. If a little manic.
@@PlasticRocket2Also for long runs! Listened to the first 2 albums on my last half marathon
I fucking love Krallice. The way the stringed instruments push and pull at each other like Hydra heads, the odd harmonies and melodies, it's like crack for me. I understand that it can be overwhelming but I enjoy how relentless it is. That being said, the music on their first few albums is all of a similar mold -- nothing's going to change your mind too much if you don't like the style at all.
If you ever feel like coming back to them, "Diotima" or the first track off of Years Past Matter is probably a good bet.
Krallice and Kayo Dot in one week... Wow. Thank you. Sincerely, one of those people who casually listens to Krallice. You just listened to a track off their second album. Their fourth album, Years Past Matter showcases a change in their sound. Then again with their 6th album, Ygg Hurr, they begin to show what they've become today. An avant-garde powerhouse. I would recommend listening to their tracks Khronos Deposed and Lotus Throne
You know, funnily enough, I discovered this song through this reaction and I have been obsessed over it ever since. I listen to it in pretty much every situation, including relaxing from college or even going to sleep (though that outro really sucks for that lmao). As to why I love it so much, man, I don't know, and it's really sparking my curiosity. Luckily, I've been allowed to pick experimental black metal as my end of study thesis, so I'm gonna be exploring that o/
First of all, exploring BM for a study these is incredibly metal. I wish you the best with that! Second, man this song. It's been two years since I heard it and my metal ears have developed a lot since then so maybe my experience with it will be more forgiving on a second time around. But given what I remember it still strikes me as odd how people could relax to this. I get the concept of it -- all that static sort of fading into a white noise kinda background thing for meditating or whatever -- but still.....I could never do it.
Be sure to let us/me know about your thesis when you finish it, especially if you find anything interesting in your research. I'm just as curious as you 😁
This is an odd choice, I would have thought most people would choose "Energy Chasms", "Aridity", "Wretched Wisdom", "Diotima", or "Telluric Rings".
100% to all of those being a better starting point than MoP
Aridity is so boring though
Agreed. This is NOT a good first introduction to Krallice.
Their most boring songs?
@@EaglehawkMoonfang A contrarian should be at the least convincing. Otherwise, cease.
When it comes to Colin Marston(he is the guitarist in Krallice)there are a lot of things to say.He is kinda advanced musician in metal scene(he play bass in Gorguts,Behold the Arctopus etc)I really recommand you some Behold The Arctopus songs which are experimental/Avant-Garde kind of death metal, you will definitely not regret it.
I literally started laughing out loud for the duration of a whole song when I first started listening to these guys because it’s so relentless and suffocating. It’s so absolutely absurd but somehow makes complete sense to me. I typically don’t like black metal like this but these guys are doing something unique. Anything that can make me laugh like that is staying in my life. I don’t know about you but I need a good laugh. I agree this can fatigue the ear but when those little reprieves show up they are that much more impactful and creates a weird space of peace amongst the chaos. It’s funny you mentioned you would probably never listen to this again, I thought that when I first heard these guys but that raw reaction I have to it wether it’s repulsion or attraction keeps bringing me back to them. Demonic Wealth takes the style in a new direction that balances things much better so it doesn’t pulverize your eardrums into ground beef….brilliant band. This is rare, I watched the whole video because I love what this band can do to people. Great reaction bro…
I swear the fast tempo of it is clouding your judgement and making you not notice how many changes there really are in this song
That very well could be. At the time this was also the heaviest thing I had heard so I was under-equipped both to understand it and to speak on it. I don't know that I'd have more to say about it today but I think I would be more receptive to what it is doing.
Instead of longing for the larger change or a respite from the thick soundscape, I feel right at home in it. This is how its supposed to be, and the smaller ways they change things or create variations let me explore those from the "baseline" of the wall of sound.
I still recommend listening to the first track off of their album Years Past Matter. That album is the perfect balance between their more recent techy/spastic material and their early repetitive material. Lots of change ups in that song, but very carefully composed.
i love how you phrased it : "i kind of want this to change for my sake, but also i dont want it to change because it would ruin the identity of the song" or smth like that. I went through multiple stages listening to this : "ah, this is nice", then "this is getting kind of repetitive" then "my ears are asking me to leave" then "... i feel... anxious"
edit : that last crescendo gave me more than chills. It made me close my eyes and made my whole body shake on my chair. And as much as i did not enjoy it, i can FEEL this experience in my bones. Woah.
Reminds me of the oppressiveness that you get with Swans sometimes, but I feel like with Swans their tracks are more of a journey and have more dynamics. So while Swans may hammer away on a chord for like 5-10 minutes straight there's usually a quieter or ambient part, or a payoff jam.
Swans is definitely more dynamic - you can differentiate the instruments far more easily, and notice the small changes as a song progresses to keep you hooked in.
Speaking of, I'd love to see a reaction to The Hanging Man or Sunfucker.
With Krallice, the entire song is the payoff
As someone who adores this kind of Black Metal, I COME HERE for the oppressive, anxiety-inducing, wearying and downright hypnotic music :)
Dude! YES! Colin from Gorguts on guitar! Krallice has some awesome riffing ;) I still want to see your reaction to some Lye By Mistake or The Red Chord! Sorry I don't have money for patreon!
Seconding Lye By Mistake. Great, little known, band.
For my money, Krallice is one of the most out there bands in terms of experimentation and putting forward that idea of overwhelming chaos. If you wanna check a shorter song, go for IIIIIII from the album Years Past Matters.
I'm discovering a lot of new groups in your channel. Congrats for your work. I appreciate that you take requests directly form patreon even if i'm enjoying or not the song, it doesn't matter xd.
This is exactly what I love about (symphonic/atmospheric/depressive suicidal) Black Metal, it's mostly less about musical technicalities, finesse, outstanding composition or anything else in that direction. It's about evoking certain emotions within the listener. One of my favourite in this regards is "Wenn die Last untragbar Scheint" (when the burden seems unbearable) by Klage der Nacht. I'm almost certain that you will enjoy this one a bit more as it's not as relentless as the song you just reacted to, but I also doubt you'll love it.
This is ace never heard anything like this before. Thank you for sharing this with us!
As always just great to see serious reactions to incredibly serious music. Keep it up.
Wow what a sadist that made you do this one!
Great song, great band.
Hell yeah I love this kind of black metal. Give in to the ATMOSPHERE!
I’m honestly surprised more people aren’t recommending Liturgy on the backs of this reaction. So much material and interesting stuff at thet
What you said at the end about tuning out during the song because of how oppressive it is; that makes complete sense to me. I think for a song like this some people listen to it in the back of the brain so to speak, as a musical backdrop for whatever their doing. The composition is exhausting with no breaks, resolutions or dynamic structure changes, so it can exist as a sort of white noise for those who want it. That's not to say that's the only way to listen to it, just my insight.
krallice reminds me what life can be about, what can be made
CR ur a cool dude, world a better place for you being in it.
Totally dig Krallice... This style of music might not be your thing though lol. Relentless tremolo picking guitars and blast beats for minutes straight is pretty common in most black metal songs that you hear.
Also wanted to point out that one of the guitar players in this band is also a fantastic bassist/composer by the name of Colin Marston. He plays in quite a few other groups as well such as Gorguts. He's most known for this band called Behold... The Arctopus, who are about as avant garde metal as it gets. I totally recommend them since you gave Gorguts a listen.
EDIT: Also since you listened to these guys, and going along with your point about dynamics in music, try out Dream House by Deafheaven. It's definitely much of the same as Krallice with trem guitars and wall of noise, but they have softer moments in their music that makes the heavier moments more impactful.
You need to check Deathspell Omega for mind bending black metal riffs :D or Ulcerate (it's death metal, maybe if you happen to do a reaction do it of a drumcam video, because that drumming, oh boy... it's crazy). Other great band to check out is Artificial Brain.
Respect for reacting to Krallice. My favorite band. Either of the first two tracks off Years Past Matter would be great to react to.
Never heard of this group. The counterpoint bass in the intro is crazy. It was like the bassist asked what key and then started doing his own thing. Interesting band.
The bass gave some slight uncomfortability throughout the second section while the guitar confirmed it a few times with some weird notes. Nice touch.
I enjoyed it but felt the same. I wanted a break during some of the sections. They caught my attention. Not sure if I’ll like them but something that’s so weird that you have to dive back in.
their bassist also writes music for "behold... the arctopus" which is one of the weirdest bands i´ve ever heard, check them out if you´re interested. (I´d recommend their album "skullgrid")
@@renzo3939 It's one of the guitarists (Colin Marston) that writes for Behold (and 20 other bands). The bassist is also in Geryon and a couple other projects. The other guitarist Mick Barr has another 20 bands he's been/currently a part of. The drummer is also in like 5 bands--one time they did a 2.5 hour tag team in NY with all of the drummer's bands trading off to see if he'd get so tired to quit (spoiler alert: he didn't).
Renzo Sweet! I’ll check em out!
@@taterhamster yup. And as far as i remember Colin wrote the bass parts back then. Maybe even does so now.
If this caught your ear, this album is phenomenal and only gets better the more you listen to it
Lightning bolt- metal east, the bassist uses a 5 string with 3 bass strings and 2 banjo strings
I love krallice! Your reaction when the song ended makes me love krallice even more. Great video, maybe try some of their other music, perhaps you would like it.
This is one of my favorite songs of all time. I'm one of those that listen to this casually, probably 500 times. This is not an easy starting point for Krallice, they are a challenging band. Try reacting to the last track on Years Past Matter, the 16 minute one. It's slightly more accessible, but that's not saying much with this band.
Dude when they hit those chords on iiiiiiiiiii (the last track) at like 3 minutes in it makes my ears so happy
ryan holschuh they really do have some of the most blissful chords and harmonies in all metal. Dimensional Bleedthrough is absolutely in my top 10 albums of all time.
I like some krallice songs, but it drags to me too. Probably my Adhd partially. I like long songs too.
Hey, I have been watching all of your videos for a while and discovered quite a few bands and really enjoy your analysis. I had to comment on this because I am a huge metal head who listens to quite a lot of black metal and for me this is exactly what I want to listen to when I come back from work. Not really what I would suggest as a starting point to black metal as I completely understand your viewpoint.
I would be interested in you checking out more black metal, but maybe more in the atmospheric black metal subgenre. A few recommended bands you might find interesting (sorry for the lack of songs... I only ever listing to full albums and can't remember song names): Vallendusk, Wodensthrone, Wolves in the Throne Room, Drudkh, Fen, Enshine, Saor.
I also would like you to listen to more power metal, but that list would be too long for a comment here. I need to checkout your patreon soon and recommend a song!
This one is a lot closer to Mick Barr's Orthrelm and Ocrilim projects, not to mention Hella with Zach Hill.
I love this track. It makes me feel relaxed and focused
Trap.......metal......? You've got my attention.
Honestly this is perfect for relaxation. Huge enough to pull you away but slow enough in its development that you're not chasing after it. Anyway, next time you're in the market for an 18 minute black metal track I'd recommend "I Will Lay My Bones Among the Rocks and Roots" by Wolves in the Throne Room. It's more traditionally dynamic and is just a really pretty track.
Black metal.....pretty track......something tells me you're trying to trick our man Bryan.
The guy started you off on a tough one lul. But that's kinda the point of that stuff - it tells a story of pain and war so you're supposed to feel like you got kicked in the brain. It's exhilarating. You should have a go at Akhlys: Breath and Levitation. It's like an actual nightmare, I love it.
Not for casual listeners that is for sure. You should check Der Weg Einer Freiheit - Letzte Sonne or also the track Seichen
I like the part they use the guitar pick to strum up and down ever so sparingly 🤔
I laughed so hard at this comment 😂
Reminds me of Annihilvore by Behold... The Arctopus. Wild sound
That's because Colin Marston is in both bands!
I do agree with some of the commenters that this isn't the best starting point for Krallice, as it is quite monotonous and has less in the way of dynamics. Tbh idk why I recommended it lol, not much thought went into that decision. Now I think I'd have rather proposed "Wretched Wisdom" over this, though from your reaction I wouldn't expect you to find it palatable either, but it does showcase more of what they're capable of.
Also I kind off felt bad seeing you get tortured through it all, sorry about that :( And I totally get it, it is very draining to me too, but I keep coming back for some reason. There's something about it that allures me. Anyways I enjoyed your insight, and promise to recommend something more entertaining next time, hope you have a nice day :)
Don't worry about it. It was certainly a tough listen but music, especially artistic music, is designed to evoke emotion and this certainly did. Just because it was hard to listen to doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it in some capacity. In the end I'm glad that I experienced it.
You deserve a medal. At least it had a catchy chorus.
yes casually
Id actually listen to this to relax but i think the only downside is the lack of variation in the speed of the drumming. Everything else actually felt somewhat standard.
Krallice is part of this new school "art" black metal acts like Wolves in the Throneroom or my personal favorite Liturgy. But I think we can safely say you will simultaneously respect & hate a lot of Black Metal: there's a lot of it that is just like this: relentlessly abrasive and testing endurance by going for repetition until it becomes ambience so if you ever do a Black Metal week (But not sure you should try a full week given your reaction) definitively names like Burzum and Darkthrone should be on your short list.
car bomb - lights out (or anything car bomb!)
This was a ride! Maybe not all that enjoyable, but I'm glad i took it...
I don't know how many people sat through the whole thing but I'd wager you can count yourself in small company. Congrats on making it to the end. :)
@@CriticalReactions Ha, ha, ha... (didn't sit though - was vaccuming the whole time...)
Certainly a wall of sound 😮
Oh man I'd love for you to react to Deathspell Omega - Abscission if you're looking for some more avant-garde black metal.
This was.... A lot. For black metal with an experimental/prog flair I'd do a song of Prometheus from Emperor. Tad more approachable
Or
The prog thrash band Vektor (black metal influence).
i enjoy krallice
one of my favorite bands! Do more!
I would suggest some earlier wedrowcy to him. Kiedy deszcz zaczął padać na zawsze. ruclips.net/video/TUnIoj6rMuA/видео.htmlsi=5L9-1tJ681bpaE9G
You should do years past matter
my apologies to Talal A B but this was noooot one of the best Krallice tracks to start with, I ADORE this band but god you should have started with Autochthon, Years Past Matter track 1, or The Clearing from the first half of their discog or Over Spirit, Lotus Throne, or Etemenanki from the second half. This band has an incredible amount of technical ability and this song choice kind of only scratched the surface of that
22:00 - i think i am that guy
Believe it or not, but I'm a guy who listens to this casually XD
Not for me. I can see why people would like it as a meditative experience. My question would be why or how you would write this. Are there any particular interviews by black metal writers anyone could recommend talking about the writing process.
Like at the video for the música....
Shaking my head right now before I've even watched the video....Krallice is one of my favorite ever bands but this is the worst starting point (with one of their longest songs and honestly least dynamic). Yes I'm one of those weirdos who casually listens to Krallice after a long day. :)
I still love this song so much, but I would have started someone off with "Dimensional Bleedthrough" or "Energy Chasms" to see what the band is more about. There's more of an evolution of structure in those songs.
Still appreciate your unvarnished opinion regardless, even though you didn't like it. I think you hit the main points anyways, like seeing it as art-house music; in that vein I see this band as closer to Kayo Dot than something more black-metal.
25 notes per second no repeats
With all due respect and appreciation for the composition and skills, it felt to me like an awesome black metal jam that was caputred very well and put out there. The dissonant, chaotic moments and the bass stood out the most to me as the elements that bring you down to ground while most of the song takes the mind elsewhere, into some sort of heights or depths.
The mix is kinda off. Whether intentional or not, I think mastering this song and balancing everything properly will definitely impove the experience. The only thing I wouldn't change is the vocals sounding distant. That's very common in black metal to evoke emotions of despair and loneliness. Depending on the execution, it might even send chills down your spine :)
I have a love/hate relationship with black metal. I despise a good chunk of it--Burzum, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Marduk, and similar--and really don't understand the appeal of such cheaply made/recorded noise. However, there are a few black metal bands that are among my favorite bands, period: Emperor, Deathspell Omega, Immortal, Alcest and Weakling are the big ones. I think what the latter bands have is both superior technical and compositional skills and greater sonic variety, rather than what this track (and so much BM) does, which is create a wall-of-buzzsaws sound and sit on it interminably.
FWIW, I've heard from some BM fans that they find that sound has a comforting, atmospheric, ASMR-like quality to it. I don't get it, but I don't get ASMR in general either. I did make it through all 20 minutes, but I'm pretty immune to this sound by now. I have heard of Krallice but never listened to them. Don't intend to after this. If I had to recommend some good black metal:
Emperor - The Eruption
Immortal - Withstand the Fall of Time
Alcest - Les voyages de l’âme
Deathspell Omega - Kenose
Weakling - Dead as Dreams
Dissection - Where Dead Angels Lie
id recommend you check out Lustre for something very, very atmospheric and maybe closer to what people were calling "asmr"-like
Do primitive man! It will definitely get a reaction out of you lol
I knew the name Krallice but never really checked. Wow. What a burden of a song, I understand why it's labelled black metal, you can really feel its crushing heavyness, diluted in melody and dissonance. I suppose it's a similar vibe to Imperial Triumphant, although IT has more interesting drum parts...
On a second thought this song is like watching the landscape while you're sitting in a train, for a fatiguingly long trip
The train analogy is pretty spot on. I kinda like that feeling though
Jesus...
Great album, but this is definitely one of the weaker tracks. Would have started with Aridity or the title track!
So far, Ocean waves of tremolo picking. Not bad, but I'm dying for something groovy, it's just me.
I had to fast forward, sorry -_-
I don't really get it, but that is okay. :)
While I enjoy all their stuff, this was an awful Krallice song to start with. You should listen to something like "Go Be Forgotten", "Inhume" or anything from the album "Years Past Matter". Those are more focused songs and better examples of how awesome this band is.
You should stick with guns and roses This is not for you 😂😂
This was 4 years ago. I think I could stomach this today and that's entirely due to exposure and better understanding the style. Black Metal still isn't my favorite genre but I get it a lot more than I did back then.
I think that's something people forget is that most people don't wake up with the ability to stomach, much less enjoy, more abrasive musics; whether that's extreme metal, complex classical, free jazz, or hyperpop. It takes time to attune one's ears. And comments like yours aren't conducive to helping people with that transition. There's some entitlement mixed with gatekeeping and it sucks, both for art in general but also for listeners. Comments like that dissuade people from learning to enjoy some types of metal, replacing excitement with contempt and viewing fans of such genres as toxic. I'd think twice before I commented something similar again.
You could also call it extremely booooooring. Sure some nice bits but it's grinded to death. Could just stand a few minutes.