Album Review: Germany's Karla Kvlt astound on the dynamic 'Thunder Hunter'

 

The former incarnation of Metal Riot had a 5 star rating system that I honestly despised. Even if a record is objectively better than another, something about smooshing all the nuances, emotions and sociology of any given record down into a confining soup can single digit number just feels dehumanizing and anti-art to me. It lets writers get lazy instead of wrestling more with what they want to convey about a work. That said, by any measurement or not the upcoming Feb. 21st (Exile On Mainsream) Karla Kvlt record Thunder Hunter  is a nonetheless resounding winner. 

It's a family noise/sludge affair here, veteran Euro-underground innovator Markus E. Lipka of Eisenvater fame teaming up with son and daughter-in-law for a deeply potent meditation in heavy and cool that manages to resharpen the cutting edge of well-established extreme forms. 

Some of the build up and hypnosis you get from a very measured band like True Widow pairs with really dirty, dark and dirgy tones akin to the gnarliest bridge of a Slayer song slowed down to Eyehategod tempos. 

Teresa Matilda Curtens almost reminds me of Estonian pop star Kerli gently fronting a world class noise band, to great effect. "Swallowed" fittingly features disorienting textures embedded in disconcerting dirges that showcase the band's pro sense of control and release. This band is so locked in and never tip their hand by blowing their whole wad out the gate or failing to find just the right tempo to maximize temperature and feel. Then you get a crying baby at the end of 'Magna Mater' that cuts through a sophisticated wall of sonic pain to chilling affect. The Nihil Rossburger mix is pretty much exactly how I prefer heavy music, not too polished but nonetheless exciting and all encompassing. 

Don't let this slip under your radar.