CoC : Kralizec - Origin : Review

Kralizec - _Origin_
(Maquiavel, 2003)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10)

Some bands stick to tried and true formulas when it comes to creating music; others choose to take more chances. Canadians Kralizec belong to the latter category: their amalgam of hyperblast, symphonic bits, melodic passages, ultra-low grunts, blackened screaming and even Akercocke-like clean singing sees them mixing some seemingly unmixable elements. Propelled by a decently operated drum machine (though still just a drum machine, in the sense that the album would have benefited from a good human drummer), Kralizec do a better job of creating interesting music from all these elements than one might expect. The music is mostly fast blackened death metal, with occasional keyboards and intricate guitar work, as well as dual low/high-pitched vocals. The production sounds a bit thin, but it does allow all the instruments to shine through admirably, and there is certainly plenty going on most of the time to keep the listener occupied. Though even the clean singing is well incorporated into the music, the quality of the album is somewhat uneven -- some really good passages alternate with rather more generic ones and a couple of failed experiments. Still, the band is quite proficient technically and shows some good songwriting ideas; in addition to the unusual mixtures that make up _Origin_, there is plenty of quality material to be found (especially "Oceano Nox" and "Kralizec" early on), and the disc flows reasonably well. _Origin_ should be an interesting choice for anyone into this kind of metallic experimentation, and Kralizec a band to watch out for in the future.

Contact: http://www.kralizec.ca

(article published 26/11/2003)