“Kostnatění (Czech for “ossification”) is a one-man act composed of a Minneapolis-based artist known only as D.L., also of other acts like Glass Shrine, Hornet Murmuration, and The Outer RIM. While firmly rooted in the icy basin of second-wave black metal, Kostnatění, as its sophomore effort’s moniker suggests, is “a story of the human condition as a function of heat.”” Hot stove, cold music.
“The typical pitfall of pseudo-experimental metal bands is their tendency towards buffoonish self-aggrandizement and the accompanying insistence on pompous philosophical themes. Often drawing inspiration from edgy, coincidentally anti-humanistic philosophies and providing a “thinking man’s take” on black metal, they immerse themselves in childish interpretations of nihilism and neoreactionary doctrines. The similarly arty and bombastically theatrical Potmos Hetoimos, the long-standing one-man progressive sludge project of Baltimorean Matt Matheson, is an antipode of such acts.” Humanistic is as humanism does.
“Since their inception, Portal’s outre take on death metal has been something of a curiosity; a malformed fetus suspended in sepia alcohol behind so many dusty artifacts. Few other artists have encroached on their sound, and even fewer can pretend to challenge their simultaneously dour and frenzied Victorian aesthetic. Theirs is horror music, to be sure, but the horror stems from a sort of noir psychedelia, an all-encompassing fractal unrest where the creak of the floorboards and the crack of colliding planets are indistinguishable in scope.” The cake is a lie.
“Lust. Greed. Pride. Jealousy. Gluttony. Vengeance. Six emotions that I experience on my daily commute to and from work. What’s better than having a heavy-blues inspired stoner album, shaped by these sordid vices, to accompany me on my soulless journey into this sick and weary world? Hailing from my beloved Blighty, Morass of Molasses thrust sexy, groove-laden shock-waves that send old-biddies reeling, cups of tea a-spilling, rich-tea biccies mushing, and tea doilies dampening.” Sounds of a tea party fading.
“Exuviae: shedding the skin. The leftover exoskeleton. Alexander von Meilenwald of The Ruins of Beverast has stripped the project bare, exposed it to new musical vistas, and transformed it into a frenetic shamanistic beast.” Second skins, shaman grins.
“It’s quite in Dodecahedron’s favor that the first thing that comes to mind when trying to introduce the band is the work of a philosopher they’re obviously fond of. Yet, far be it from me to play too easily into their hand, it’s not the Platonic solids I’m inspired to write of. It’s the philosopher’s views on the band’s own art form. ” Form attacks function.
“Perdurance is the most difficult album you’ll hear until Jute Gyte releases its follow up. Toiling for years with little recognition and no label support, the one man black metal/ electronic/ lowercase/ ambient/ etc. band of Adam Kalmbach has produced vast quantities of what is hands down the most forward-thinking and complex music metal has to offer.” Here at AMG, we like difficult people and difficult music.
