From the deepest underground of the Dutch black metal scene arises Kreyll, a duo of R.S. and R.L.. After two demos and a split the time is now for their debut Ontzielingsrituelen. Not much is known about the members, nothing can be found online about their identity and even who does what on this record remains a mystery.
According to the band:
‘Ontzielingsrituelen stands for the human struggle against oblivion: to create something monumental; something lasting, eternal; but with it comes the inherent existential dread of realisation that inevitably everything falls into ruin and nothing lasts. Perhaps contradictory, this existential dread is the main driver of our social, moral, cultural and human evolution, ephemerality breeds purpose, curiosity and progression. Immortality and the promise of eternal life only leads to stagnancy, regression and the destruction of the human spirit and the erosion and eventual downfall of human civilisation.’
Let’s see if they struggle against oblivion or if they can create something monumental.
The album opens with Somnambulist, a short intro, but just at the right moment the music erupts with a ferocious blastbeat and raw guitar lines. The vocals sound like they are from another dimension, with not only screams but also clean vocals. They add a lot to the vibe of insanity, it almost sounds extraterrestrial. With a length of over ten minutes this is a long one, to not become boring you need to master the art of building up tension, releasing it and keeping the flow going. Kreyll does seem to master this skill, it does not feel like a lengthy track. The same can be said for the second and third track, De donkere bovenkamer and Kathedraal.
Track number four, Het psychotisch huis Gods deserves a special mention. The band has reached something monumental with this track. It truly feels like a psychotic episode (or better said, like I would think one could be translated to music). It is chaotic yet peaceful, very dark and energetic. It reminds me of a track from Mayhem, Wall of water. The part around 6.40 gives me goosebumps, the building of tension with the continuous drum fills, the dark riffage. Excellent! And at the peak of the mountain of tension…Rest! and blast! This track alone could carry the release, I have found myself to have this on repeat for the greater part of a day.
The last track is the title track, Ontzielingsritueel. It does not reach the greatness of the previous track but still is a great and memorable track. It fits more to the first three tracks. Very good and enjoyable, but not monumental.
Being released (the 29th of October) on limited tape through Zwaertgevegt, this is a must have for people who like doom-ish and industrial-ish black metal. This one will come to my personal collection. Great work for a debut, in my personal opinion Kreyll can improve by writing more dark sounding work, but if this is their zero, I cannot wait to see their 100!
89/100
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