v-KhaoZ

Artist: 
Album Title: 
Grey
Release Date: 
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Review Type: 

In order to make people comprehend their insignificant existence, Ville ‘v-KhaoZ’ Pallonen started this self-called project quite recently. This Finnish artist, formerly or currently also known from well-known outfits like Azaghal (!), Oath (in a very near future I will write and upload the review for their newest album, once again released via Immortal Frost Productions), Hiisi or Hin Onde, recorded this material during last year’s summer under a black sun. Ville took care of all instruments as well as the mix at the Chamber Of Desolation, though the drums were recorded with recording assistance of Oath’s frontman Aki ‘Grim666’ Klemm at his Patologian Laboratorio Studio. Aki runs the Patologian Laboratorio Productions-label, on which v-KhaoZ did release a split with Kalmankantaja; you can find the review for that recording on the update of December 24th 2015. Oh yes, Ville recently joined Kalmankantaja as drummer (here too: look out for the upcoming review for this act’s newest effort on Patologian Laboratorio Productions), and that outfit, Kalmankantaja, is one of the many that involves Aki. …almost incestuous…Oh yeah, the artwork is quite sober but truly ‘deep’, creating the visual aspect of v-KhaoZ’ Cold World. Grey is the colour…Grey for sure is a new step within the existence of v-KhaoZ’ vision. More than before, everything seems to be evolved towards a certain DSBM-alike trend. The compositions are highly melodic, implicating an atmosphere of desolation and grief. The material is quite guitar-based especially, with chilly and shrieking screams at the one hand, and prominent tremolo leads at the other, to characterise the core of the album. Quite some neo-symphonic synth elements too are like a characteristic definition of this album’s identity. Few acoustic parts, like the introduction on Dead Stars Falling, rather refer to the related origins of the Post-Rock current, and that’s one of the elements that surely reminds to this project’s co-operation on last year’s split. All hymns are constructed with a comparable basement, a fundament that covers aural finesse and no-nonsense obscurity of the most abyssal kind. Once again, the obscure keyboard orchestrations are quite typifying, nuancing the identity of this project with a sardonic grin. Once in a while I undergo hints of Cold Wave Metal ‘ish (indeed: what do I mean???) fairness, like in Blacksun Havoc, attracting and maintaining the listener’s attention firmly, permanently, uncomplicatedly. Within the ‘faster’ pieces one can even dream away into spheres of Post-Black alike dimensions – yet without the mechanical elements; it’s purely natural and organic right here!The sound quality, especially going for the first half of this album, cannot satisfy me, unfortunately. I adore an ‘underground’ production for sure, but in this recording’s case, the mix is way too weak. The vocals are so far away, the distinction in between lead melodies and rhythm guitars, as well as bass lines, is almost non-existent, and even the drum patterns are barely at the foreground. It’s a pity, it really is, for it minimalizes the fabulous hymns. Soberness is one thing (which I am willing to accept), dullness however is something else… My final score, being totally subjective and unimportant, withholds my opinion about that sound quality too, for what it’s worth… …can you imagine what the result might have been with a decent production???There are 200 copies, which is quite limited, so you better hurry up if you can ignore the inferior production - because this is (if you ignore the sound quality) not just an option yet a prominent recommendation!

85/100