ALBUM REVIEW: Nel Nome Del Codice – Keygen Church
Among those whose ears have long been keenly attuned to the machine gun-paced hail of battering hyperblasts, gargantuan slabs of weightily churning bass groove and viciously bristling tremolo, the notion of sonic extremity existing independent of these lacerating, decidedly metallic trappings is something of an alien concept. Yet, as illustrated by every gifted musician from STRAVINSKY’s unruly and discordant classical arrangements to the nightmarish, mind-altering compositions of famously provocative solo artist CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, radical and fiercely distinctive creative output is a fluid and instinctive thing constrained neither by era nor genre. And without so much as a whisper of distortion or bloodcurdling shriek, the curious, neoclassical entity that goes by the name of KEYGEN CHURCH pulls off a performance that’s as staggering in stature as it is joyously eccentric in flavour.
With its immense, bewilderingly complex strains of sumptuous pipe organ, elegantly cascading flurries of piano and dense layer upon layer of choral vocals whose collective scale and intensity borders on the post-apocalyptic, rest assured Nel Nome Del Codice lacks nothing as far as raw power and dynamic instrumentation is concerned. And while creator Victor Love‘s self-described reference points in black and death metal play an audibly diminished role here, his studious eschewing of traditional, guitar-driven territory in favour of an altogether more classically-inclined approach makes for a bold and sonically intrepid change of pace – not least when we stop to consider the equally unconventional method by which he has meticulously spliced together this intricate, multi-faceted tapestry of assorted musical trappings and traditions. Conjuring up the loftiest of ethereal ecstasies and turbulent, darkly intoxicating atmospheres via masterful command of computer programming and compositional software, Nel Nome Del Codice comprises a genre-shattering intermingling of cutting-edge modernity and centuries-old tradition – an entity of inorganic, wholly synthesised origin that’s simultaneously teeming with character and evocative expression.
Wielding its every brutally propulsive blast and airily delicate flourish with a bewildering level of frenzied pacing and explosive force that leaves us instantly dizzy with adrenaline, the early portion of this record is an unrelenting and monstrously expansive assault on the senses. And from frantically accelerating strains of tinkling piano that erupt in a civilisation-levelling mass of hammering blasts to lofty crescendos of soprano that plummet headlong into a veritable abyss of rumbling, throatily reverberating baritone, Love displays a masterful knack for exercising the most seamless and electrifying of sonic transitions.
Underpinning a repertoire that’s as inconceivably heavy and ornate as the ancient bricks and mortar comprising the world’s most sacred and majestic ecclesiastical structures, it’s easy to appreciate why epic title track Nel Nome Del Codice was selected to be aired ahead of the album’s awaited unveiling. Like vast, gaping chasms residing in the deepest bowels of Hell, its myriad layers of brooding, crushingly turbulent choirs find us liberally drenched in darkness.
While the album’s generous application of electronically generated choirs and somewhat restless, galloping pace can occasionally border on something of a sensory overload, what KEYGEN CHURCH has accomplished here is a wondrously strange and compositionally brilliant feat, particularly at moments when the sometimes overbearing dominance of the aforementioned vocal dynamics relaxes and relents, opening up space for a plethora of intricate and intensely evocative musical dynamics. See, for example, the blackly entangled organ notes and fluidly whirling undercurrents of piano that preside over the bewitching La Voce Del Destino or Che Sia Vita O Morte‘s nimbly manipulated fusion of pummelling percussion and impeccably delicate piano phrases for just a few of the jaw-droppingly expansive and beautiful highlights contained herein.
Rating: 8/10
Nel Nome Del Codice is set for release March 22nd via Metal Blade Records.
Like KEYGEN CHURCH on Facebook.