Kvell's brilliant Damned Journey for the Unholy War demo was featured way back in the Hearse's infancy when I posted a spotlight on the bizarre world of Korean Black Metal. The hallmark of these Korean kults is the presence of a caustic surface hiss that coats these demos in an arcane filth, like an old photograph or a favorite tape that has been played too many times. Kvell is no exception, and while the intro and outro pieces on Unholy Gate to the Dark Abyss, with fumbling surfy guitars are the most compelling moments on this album, the "regular" Black Metal tracks are so washed out and confusing it's hard not to love it. Kvell is almost more of a power electronics/drone band, whether this was their intent is unknown but it works incredibly well. Anything you can find on the Nerbilous label out of Korea is worth whatever you might pay for it. Seriously.
thanks dude! i loved that korean black metal post. i'm stoked about this!
ReplyDeleteyup thanks
ReplyDeletehey, link for Damned Journey for the Unholy War seems to be d-e-d...if you feel inclined to re-up it...
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to this - great to see some more Korean madness from the hearse!
ReplyDeleteThanks for more from these mad fuckers.
ReplyDeleteI thought it said Gruel on the cover, it is early AM. Maybe that hiss and filth is shitty equipment. Who knows if it started in Norway or on an old Venom album now black metal is worldwide.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there's some great shit coming out of the Korean metal underground. Hard as shit to get hold of, though... I live in Korea and I still rarely see this stuff anywhere. Nobody buys CDs here, it's all downloads. Guess I should remember to check in on the Nerbilous website every once in a while, seems like ordering them online is the only way to go with these releases.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, while we're on the topic of Korea, it's not black metal but I'd urge anyone who is interested in fast hardcore to check out BanRan (it's Korean for 'riot' or 'insurrection') - fucking awesome pissed off hardcore in the vein of Dropdead. Go to http://www.myspace.com/banranpunk and you can listen to some tunes. And while you're there, if bass-and-drums grind rock sounds like something you wanna hear, then go to the Top Friends links and check out Bamseom Pirates.
Loving the way they've put 'darkabyss' together haha.
ReplyDeleteThis is some good shit thanks Aesop
Thanks for the swell post. I didn't see any mention of it in the archives, but I would assume you're familiar with Pyha? If you haven't heard it, that album on tUMULt should be right up your alley.
ReplyDeletePyha is excellent. The band was put on hold while the main guy fulfilled his cuntry's mandatory military obligations
ReplyDeleteGotta give this a listen, if only because "caustic hiss" and "arcane filth" are some of the most evocative phrases I've heard in awhile.
ReplyDeleteAlso, because it's obvious these Kvlt Koreans don't know any Yiddish, and so this is already hilarious.
Excellent. You should check out/find some Sad Legend. Man, those guys killed it.
ReplyDeleteThey could change their name to Kvetch.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you're aware of the UK print zine SALT, but the new issue has an interesting interview with the guy from Pyha. The same issue also has an interview with Alicia Morgan about her former band 13. I think Aquarius Records is carrying copies of it.
ReplyDeleteKvell is norwegian for nightfall. Don't know if that's where they got it from but it would make sense.
ReplyDeleteMakes more sense than the Yiddish. I keep seeing these guys saying "such a nice boy."
ReplyDeleteI also went back to the previous post on Korean black metal to check out those bands too (Warpeal, Wolven Howl, holy shit), and if you download the accompanying images, the thumbnail previews appear to be unretouched versions of the photos - just a bunch of guys posing in their living rooms in regular clothes. Play with the threshold function in Photoshop and BAM! Instant Kvlt.