ALBUM REVIEW: rEvolve – Kassogtha
Bands with the kind of creative scope that KASSOGTHA are very few and far between. Despite the band being in the embryonic stage of its career the members have proved already that they are more than capable of rubbing shoulders with the big boys of the progressive metal scene. The world has changed a lot since their 2018 debut effort A New World To Come, yet the band seem to have lost no momentum and their sophomore effort rEvolve picks up the creative baton and surges forward emphatically.
Within the first 30 seconds of The Infinite there are elements of metal from every corner of the spectrum. The black metal influenced blast beats and frantic tremolo riffs combined with the harsh death metal vocals and contrasting symphonic elements create a soundscape that is as scathing as it is grandiose and impressive. The technical metal onslaught continues with Before I Vanish, serving up a plethora of intricate, well-crafted riffs. The bludgeoning soon gives way to a superb clean vocal section, with vocalist Stephany Hugnin performing at the very top of her game to deliver the melody that counteracts the brutality so effectively.
Venom sees the band at their most progressive and musically explorative. The echoed guitars play off of one another to create an eerie musical backdrop. By the time the drums enter and the whispered vocals come in to play the listener is as uncomfortable as they are intrigued, and it is in that sweet spot that the band have you exactly where they want you. As the song expands, the huge production allows everything to breathe and gives the perfect platform for the huge melodic hooks to leap from. The guys then throw an off-kilter dissonant breakdown into the mix for good measure and there you have the finishing touches to one of the best progressive metal tracks you are likely to hear this year.
Towards the latter stages of the album is one of the most captivating pieces of music that KASSOGTHA have created thus far. Plume sees the band dial up their symphonic elements and create an almost cinematic song that proves just how well rounded they are as songwriters. This is the moment where Hugnin really shows just how commanding and versatile her vocal range is as she blasts out the performance of her life. The fact that the band manage to shift dynamic so freely is something that more bands should take notice of. The ability to deliver a pulverising section and then return to a more melodic sound without making it seem jarring or forced is a skill that very few truly master. However, even at this early stage of their career KASSOGTHA show a maturity in their craft that many bands who far surpass them in years rarely display.
The creative well refuses to run dry at the end of the album and the band prove that with the colossal Save Us. It’s a near-on ten-minute opus that lays all of their collective cards on the table and proves just how much musical ground can be covered by musicians with this kind of ability. The track starts with the band at their most serene, followed by sections of jagged rhythmic sections and complex riffs without ever feeling like the ideas are cut and pasted together, while the final two minutes are reserved for some of the most well organised chaos you can imagine. The vortex of riffs that pummel you as a listener are amongst the best you will hear all year and the driving drum beat makes for an exhilarating experience.
It takes a lot to stand out in the age of the internet. There are so many bands fighting for the same small amount of attention that people seem to be able to give that it takes something really special to grab it and hold on to it. Luckily KASSOGTHA have that special something and look set to climb to the upper echelons of an overly saturated and often over-sterilised genre. They are creating exciting and unique music that deserves to be heard and with rEvolve it seems that they have the album to continue their upward trajectory.
Rating: 8/10
rEvolve is set for release on November 11th via Klang Machine Music.
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