Reiklos - Lifeless

From the land of graceful frosty black metal Reiklos create epic compositions of unmatched grandeur from the primitive elements of black metal styled in majestically sparse leads and pouring liquid arpeggiated melodic passages which allow each song to morph into a tightly balanced journey, with either dissonant or consonant resolution. Influenced as much by early Darkthrone - for the style - as by Phantom - for the substance - their debut album Lifeless often feels like Transilvanian Hunger given Phantom's trademarked 'riff maze' treatment, where one or two phrasal riffs form a theme which evolves into a counter-themes composed of different by related melodic motifs.

Despite wearing their influences on their sleeve - 'Reiklos' is the name of a Phantom composition from the forgettable Nekros Nemesis - there is on Lifeless far more that is original than that is borrowed. The way each motif is resolved both melodically and harmonically, for one, is something entirely original to the band. Also, the simple motions between large interval gaps and simple, often chromatic intervals, to produce an effect of motion through modal consistency within slight dissonance or barely consonant tonal context is borrowed from no one but the band members' own twisted imaginations.

One of the better black metal albums of the past decade, if a bit difficult to get into at first. You must buy Lifeless, lest you become as the name of the album.

Back to Reiklos