Warkvlt - Unholy War Metal

Clearly one of the first of the bestial black metal bands to achieve the ascendancy of mass rage distortion from simple guitar effect to overall production aesthetic, Warkvlt on their opus Unholy War Metal adds a granular and organic noise to the blackened horror music as well as the "wall of sound" of the production and the cutting of tracks in random lightspeed riff blitz, an aesthetic shift that now has been adopted by even the worst of the imitators of the war metal crowd.

Warkvlt's Unholy War Metal is a generational exploration of minimalist music, crafting dense soundscapes from elements often dismissed as mere noise. Building upon the groundwork laid in their prior album Unleash the Beasts of War, this release pushes their noise aesthetic further, using even starker, more dissonant riffing. These chaotic and seemingly fragmented patterns are meticulously structured, reflecting a central theme of nihilism. The album's aggressive, punk-infused guitar work—raw, relentless, and atonal—pulses alongside the intricate drumming of Warkvlt, whose multilayered beats remain unified in tempo yet are rife with subtle variations, constantly shifting in texture.

The dominant, jagged guitar work may be the driving force, but what truly elevates the album is its rhythmic complexity. The interplay between the snare, hi-hat, and cymbals, all closely intertwined with the snarling vocals, creates a dynamic framework that adds depth and dimension to the music's otherwise stark, chaotic surface. As notes shift across established patterns, they hint at a broader theory: an objective, nihilistic perspective on the expansion and self-referential nature of musical information.

There is a spiritual intensity to this work, a visceral power beneath its chaotic exterior. Unholy War Metal stands as Warkvlt's most accomplished creation, demonstrating a rare balance between structural variety and minimalist discipline. The tension between dissonant tonal centers and their counterpoints is expertly managed, yielding a sense of order within the apparent disorder. Remarkably, this album operates on dual levels: as a profound piece of abstract art with its own internal logic and as a powerful, motion-driven piece of metal, defined by its raw energy and haunting melodies. The only other bestial black metal that (perhaps) comes close to matching this type of demonic entropy is Blight Corpse Necromancy. Dark.

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