Reviews: SAT278
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Although the solo project Kolossus has sprung from the mind of a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist (Helliminator) who is located in Italy, he has drawn his inspirations from such northern bands as Taake, Enslaved, Emperor, and Helheim, and has devoted himself to the creation of Black/Viking Metal. After a split (The invocation of Makt) with Manon was released in 2019, Kolossus has now recorded a debut album called The Line of the Border, which will be co-released on March 19th by Satanath Records (Russia) and The Ritual Productions (Netherlands).
For this debut full-length, Helliminator composed the songs and the lyrics, and performed vocals and all instruments other than the drumming, which was executed in astonishing fashion by Emanuele Prandoni (Anamnesi, Simulacro, Ancient). The album also features two guests on particular tracks, with Vicotnik (of Dødheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende) contributing vocals on the album’s first preview track, “Norge“, and a musician named Daisy who performs solo guitar on the track we’re about to premiere — an explosive song named “Journey“.
“Journey” does begin in a solemn way, but it abruptly erupts in a blinding surge of hyper-speed drum blasting, writhing and roiling riffs, and mind-lacerating screams. It’s a wild and riotous explosion of sound, but grand, chiming tones rise up from within the ravaging storm. Even when the drum rhythm becomes more moderate, bursts of double-bass maintain an undercurrent of high energy, and at those times, when the incendiary riffing transforms into gleaming and glorious tones, the vitality of the song is still tremendous.
The rippling and swirling melodies soar, though the roaring vocals, the blistering drumwork, and the sheer density of the sonic assault continue to give the song a ravaging and warlike countenance. Solemn vocals reappear, and there’s a bit of a tragic resonance in the melody as the song breathtakingly hurtles toward its conclusion, but the overall experience is head-spinning — so much so that it takes much more than a single listen to fully appreciate.
https://www.nocleansinging.com/2020/02/07/an-ncs-premiere-kolossus-journey/
Screen of review.
https://www.dargedik.com/2020/05/kolossus-line-of-border-2020-resena.html
Nadando siempre a la deriva. Es así como he visto a los que me han rodeado y a mí mismo. Poco a poco los días se transforman en meses que pasan a ser años. Con el transcurrir del tiempo, solemos mirar hacia atrás con suma nostalgia. Se echan de menos personas, situaciones e incluso ciertos problemas, que vistos con la perspectiva que da la edad resultan infantiles. Existió un tiempo en que había esperanzas y alegrías. Ahora, tan solo busco un lugar donde parar, respirar y esperar a la parca. Cuando lo encuentre, sabré que por fin se acabaron los sobresaltos. Será mi pequeña isla. Estará poblada de sueños rotos. Me aferraré a ellos de tal forma que tal vez consiga hacerlos realidad antes de que exhale por última vez…
Bienvenidos al universo de Kolossus.
Helliminator, es el hombre encargado de dar vida a la One Man Band de Black Metal Kolossus. El pasado 19 de marzo de 2020, Satanath Records lanzó al mercado su primer L.P «The Line of the Border», y ahora me toca a mí ofreceros su respectiva reseña.
Queridos lectores, el único problema que veo al disco de hoy, es que el nivel es tan alto que va a ser complicado igualarlo y ya no digamos superarlo en próximos lanzamientos. Pero no adelantemos acontecimientos, hablemos del trabajo en sí ¿no os parece? De entrada, planteo lo siguiente: ¿Se puede llegar a conseguir un equilibrio perfecto entre dramatismo y furia? A juzgar por las composiciones creadas por el italiano la respuesta es sí. Los 42 minutos aproximados de música se hacen cortos, dejando a cualquiera que decida oírlo con ganas de más. Ni los temas que funcionan como pequeños pasajes restan empaque al resultado final. Simplemente impoluto.
La producción, exhibe el punto justo de suciedad. Lo que desde luego ha sido el talón de Aquiles ha sido el artwork. ¿Se puede hacer una portada más insulsa?, yo creo que no.
Las seis cuerdas, perpetuamente apesadumbradas y gélidas conseguirán hacer girones con vuestra alma y psique. Las dobles armonías y el uso del tremolo picking mandan y o vuestra banda.
Tanto espacio tienen los shrieks más salvajes como unas clean vocals susurrantes. Curiosamente, aquí las voces limpias funcionan muy bien.
En el terreno de la percusión tenemos de todo, desde mid tempos sólidos cual roca, hasta blast beats endiablados. Dinamismo en estado puro.
Recalco las geniales ‘Journey‘ y ‘Reborn‘. Eso sí, os advierto que el resto son iguales de buenas.
http://www.brokentombmagazine.com/2020/05/21/critica-kolossus-the-line-of-the-border-2020/
Del progetto genovese Kolossvs ci eravamo già occupati in occasione della pubblicazione nel 2018 dello split di debutto in compagnia della concittadina one man band ManoN. Anche Kolossvs è un progetto solista, dietro al quale si cela il mastermind Helliminator, già mente e motore del solo project di matrice industrial black denominato T132. Dopo due anni dedicati alla composizione dei nuovi pezzi è ora la volta dell’esordio sulla lunga distanza, questo “The Line Of The Border” che vede la luce grazie all’etichetta russa Satanath Records. Dal punto di vista stilistico ci troviamo di fronte alla continuazione e alla naturale evoluzione del discorso iniziato sul precedente lavoro, legato a un black metal con marcate influenze viking, declinato tuttavia in maniera abbastanza personale. Di fatto si procede lungo i sentieri battuti nel corso degli anni dai vari Enslaved, Windir, Falkenbach, Fortid e Bathory, indiscussi e indiscutibili padri fondatori del genere.
La musica procede con la giusta dose di aggressività ma è forse la creazione di atmosfere tra l’epico e il tragico, sospese in una grigia nuvola di assorta malinconia, a rappresentare l’elemento di maggiore interesse del disco: atmosfere diluite nella nebbia del nord e rarefatte nei racconti di miti e leggende che sembrano riflettere in chiave spirituale un certo struggimento interiore ed una visione dolente della realtà e del mondo. Vi sono alcuni passaggi più riflessivi e meditabondi, veicolati attraverso momenti acustici e variazioni atmosferiche che costituiscono dei buoni stacchi tra un assalto furioso e l’altro; così come le ampie fughe strumentali, che hanno spesso un andamento ipnotico e sfuggente e scandagliano con piglio progressivo territori posti al confine della psichedelia. Questi squarci più sperimentali, ai quali fanno da contraltare alcuni passaggi in voce pulita, si inseriscono in strutture e trame black ordite con la classica accoppiata tremolo-blast beats, feroci e dirompenti, che però non disdegnano di liberarsi in più ariose divagazioni melodiche.
L’album, che vede la partecipazione in veste di guest vocalist in “Norge” niente meno che di Vicotnik (Dødheimsgard e Ved Buens Ende, tra gli altri), si lascia quindi ascoltare con piacere, pur non essendo affatto un’uscita di immediata assimilazione, e sarà apprezzato soprattutto dagli amanti delle sonorità viking-black più “evolute” (sulla scia di dischi come “Mardraum” o “Monumension”, per intenderci) ma a mio giudizio non è privo di alcuni difetti che mi sembra doveroso sottolineare. Innanzitutto alcune soluzioni, benché apprezzabili, vengono ripetute con troppa insistenza: alcune canzoni più “asciutte” avrebbero probabilmente funzionato meglio. In secondo luogo la registrazione è decisamente troppo affossata e a tratti perfino confusa; specialmente il cantato risulta assolutamente in secondo piano, distante e spesso quasi sussurrato. Si tratta, credo, di scelte volute ma personalmente avrei gradito suoni più potenti e definiti e una voce più stentorea, che avrebbe forse aumentato il tasso di epicità del disco. Al netto di queste imperfezioni, che riflettono in realtà il gusto personale di chi scrive, si può affermare che “The Line Of The Border” è un lavoro che denota una certa sicurezza e la volontà di percorrere senza ripensamenti un sentiero che potrebbe portare di qui a qualche tempo alla creazione di un sound dai tratti ancora più personali e riconoscibili. Per ora godiamoci questo viaggio, tra possenti iceberg alla deriva su acque gelide ed altrettanto fredde meditazioni introspettive.
http://www.blackmetalistkrieg.net/?p=11510
The kind folks at Satanath Records in Russia sent me a virtual stack of new releases, which I'll happily dip into over the next few weeks. I've already reviewed one, a Cuban black metal album from Skjult, and it ended up on my Highly Recommended List with an 8/10. Let's see if that was a fluke or if there's a whole lot of other quality underground extreme metal on their schedule.
This one from Italy is pretty good though it's no Skjult. Kolossus is a one man band from Genoa, that one man going by Helliminator, and his particular brand of black metal is supposed to come with a Viking metal flavour but I'm getting a gothic sound out of it. When he's at full tilt, which is the vast majority of the time, the sound is rather like the Sisters of Mercy at about quadruple speed.
And that's an interesting sound. The drums are fast but surprisingly varied. The guitars are an abrasive sonic wall. The bass comes out to play in slower sections but it's just part of that same sonic wall in the faster ones. The vocals are deep in the mix, so deep that they're not far off just being part of the same increasingly layered wall. What's left to keep a sense of melody is another guitar over the top throwing notes out surprisingly slowly, as if the player isn't even part of the same recording session (though he follows the time), which is even more odd for a one man band.
I like that sound but I need more on an album that runs three quarters of an hour. The quieter or slower sections are important to keep a variety and add a contrast to the release. They work very well in this regard, because they aren't the usual quieter or slower sections on black metal records. This one features a lot of ambience in the form of whispers, hints at choral backdrop and what might be spoken word poetry, sometimes accompanied by vinyl pops.
The more I listen to this, the more I feel the density of that sound and the more I find myself moving into it. This is far from a one listen album. The uninitiated are going to find this impenetrable, but black metal aficionados who listen a few times will feel it dragging them inexorably into its sound, almost like a quicksand bog. As long as we don't struggle, we can enjoy the majesty of it. If we struggle, though, we'll become yet another victim, like the girl who keeps whispering at us in French, I think, not Italian.
Maybe my quicksand metaphor is a bad one. Sometimes, especially on Journey, it feels more like a tornado, where it throws us up instead of dragging us down and, as we're whirled around in a maelstrom of noise, we keep catching glimpses of interesting things that have been snatched up along with us. It feels like pieces of the song come into focus before being whirled away once more to be replaced by others. In this context, the guitar solo is somewhat ghostly.
I liked this and, looking at my favourites, I see that I prefer my Kolossus at length. Fog and Sin are two of the three songs on offer that exceed seven minutes and they're two of my three top picks here. Journey, on the hand, is a mere five and a half, plenty more than the three interludes that run for a minute and change but much shorter than the longer songs.
Helliminator founded Kolossus in 2014 and this is his debut release at full length, following a split with Manon, another one man black metal band from Genoa, a couple of years ago. Of the two Kolussus tracks proper on that, one shows up here too, so I presume Norge is the oldest song on offer. It's also the most tortured, with Helliminator's vocals more present and more overt. I guess he's moving more into black metal soundscapes, though without actually slowing down and turning into atmospheric black metal.
If that's the direction he's taking, I'm really interested in hearing what's coming next. Hopefully the reuse of Norge doesn't mean that Helliminator is an extra-slow songwriter and Satanath can put out another album sometime in the next couple of years.
https://www.apocalypselatermusic.com/2020/04/kolossus-line-of-border-2020.html
Kolossus are a solo project from Italy that plays a very melodic form of viking black metal and this is a review of his 2020 album "The Line Of The Border" which was released as a joint effort between Satanath Records and The Ritual Productions.
Clean playing starts off the album along with some melodic viking vocals a few seconds later before going into a very fast and raw musical direction which also adds in a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats. All of the musical instruments also have a very powerful sound to them.
The riffs also add in a great amount of melody while spoken word parts can also be heard at times. Grim black metal screams are also a very huge part of the recording along with the songs also adding in a decent mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and a great portion of the tracks are very long and epic in length.
When guitar solos and leads are utilized they are also done in a very melodic style along with the acoustic guitars adding in elements of folk music w hen they are utilized. Spoken word parts and whispers can also be heard briefly on a couple of tracks as well as the music also having its atmospheric moments, the album also closes with an instrumental. The production sounds very professorial while the lyrics cover Northern Lands And Gods. Afterlife mysteries and Religious Conflicts.
In my opinion Kolossus are a very great sounding melodic viking black metal solo project and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording.
http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2020/04/kolossusthe-line-of-bordersatanath.html
Helliminator of Kolssus has been a solo musician since he recorded three demos for an industrial black metal project he did from 1994 to 2004 or ’05 called T132. I looked up this project and couldn’t find any information about those demos, so I don’t know if they’re even available anymore. Maybe they were released on a limited basis because of financial constraints and/or because he wanted to keep a certain amount of secrecy, but I’d check them out sometime if I had the chance. It was a long stretch between T132 and his newest project; in 2018 he and fellow Italian multi-instrumentalist Albrecht Schwarzimmer of Manon released a split CD, and last month saw the release of his debut album “The Line of the Border.” Being from Italy Helliminator could have easily taken inspiration from sources as diverse as Cultus Sanguine, Necrodeath, Opera IX, and Bulldozer. Instead, he looked to the beginning of the Norwegian black metal revival to brainstorm ideas; bands like Emperor, Enslaved, Borknagar, and Helheim. Listening to an Italian re-interpretation of Norse black metal, with many hints of the Italian approach to the genre, he seems to rediscover the seditious stoutheartedness of the former while managing to secure the influence of his home country so they harmonize together. This is especially so in the themes of religious conflict between ancient paganism and Catholicism that are part of the narrative of “The Line of the Border.” The Bandcamp link that was passed to me by Satanath Records doesn’t include lyrics, but the song titles suggest religious conflict is a substantial part of the concept here. This is gorgeously, seductively rendered as the album takes you from somber, sepulchral passages to tumultuous compositions with solid, frenetic drumming, anamorphic bass, somnolent guitars, eerie whispers, mellifluous vocals, and anguished fry screams. All this adds to an album with a feeling of immenseness, of expansiveness and magnificence that expresses an ages-old conflict in a convincing way. The effect is subtle but quite profound, making “The Line of the Border” well worth the effort of seeking out.
https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2020/04/full-length-review-kolossus-line-of.html
Disco di debutto per Kolossus, una one man black metal band proveniente da Genova e capitanata da Helliminator, coadiuvato nientemeno che da Vicotnik dei Dodheimsgard nel brano “Norge”, e con questo “The line of the border” ci propongono circa 42 minuti e mezzo di una musica che dal nome potrebbe far pensare a qualcosa tipo Behemoth, e che invece va a suonare in maniera abbastanza personale, con un sound che propone moods massivi e potenti tipo “Eld” degli Enslaved, ma a cui si alternano sorprendentemente delle influenze più sperimentali, corali e con voce pulita tipo ultimi Enslaved, nonché un certo feeling stile primi Dodheimsgard di “Monumental possession”, che esplodono dalla seconda metà dell’album.
L’ascolto a dire la verità risulta molto difficile invero, per via di una qualità sonora abbastanza scadente e confusa, dove è difficile sentire le chitarre durante “Fog”, mentre in “Sin” i volumi cambiano e devi impegnarti all’ascolto per capire cosa stia suonando la batteria o per sentire le voci pulite nella pur buona “Journey”. La situazione migliora leggermente verso la seconda parte dell’album, che trovo la migliore, nonché quella dove Kolossus si fa notare con un sound particolarmente personale e interessante, che sa spaziare tra l’epicità di “Journey” e la tirata solennità di “Reborn”, forse il miglior brano del disco per il fatto che la musica mescola queste due influenze in maniera pressoché perfetta, mentre si fa notare anche “Norge”, crepuscolare e vagamente più tragica, seppure troppo corta e che poteva durare di più.
Insomma: “The line of the border” ha ottime idee e uno stile personale che promette bene, ma d’altro canto suona in maniera pessima e decisamente questa qualità sonora ne penalizza la riuscita, rendendo abbastanza difficile l’ascolto e carpire le pur buone sfumature della musica, declassando quest’album da “molto buono” a “buono ma di nicchia”. Essendo il disco di debutto, una certa immaturità e qualche acerbità sono tollerabili, ma per il futuro questo difetto dovrà essere sanato assolutamente. Nel frattempo, “The line of the border” è consigliabile per gli amanti del black metal sperimentale, tanto più se orientati verso certo industrial black.
http://www.metalwave.it/recensione.php?id=9252
I Kolussus italiani (da non confondere con gli omonimi finlandesi e russi) sono il giovane progetto – nato nel 2014 – del polistrumentista ligure Helliminator, da poco al sua prima prova discografica. Dobbiamo dire che la scelta di tematiche nordiche da parte di soggetti alloctoni ci lascia sempre parecchio perplessi, fatte salve rarissime eccellenze (i compianti Skoll, per rimanere nel genere e i maestri dell’epic-doom DoomSword). Questo amore per la cultura scandinava in generale e per la spiritualità nordica in particolare – da quel che ci sembra di capire – trova il giusto completamento nel black metal dalle forti tinte pagane della musica, che è – al di là delle considerazioni in premessa – ben scritto e suonato. Musicalmente è forte l’influenza dei Bathory del periodo di “Hammerheart” e “Twilight Of The Gods”, così come del black più epico, glaciale e battagliero dai vecchi Enslaved e Borknagar ai ben più recenti Gaahls Wyrd, ma Helliminator riesce a dar vita ad un disco vario e con soluzioni pregevoli, anche se non personalissime. Molto interessante l’uso dell’italiano in “Journey”, il brano che ci ha convinto maggiormente, mentre “Norge” è un tributo ben riuscito alla terra dei Fiordi e vede alla voce niente meno che Vicotnik dei Dødheimsgard. Il tratto più lodevole di quest’album è probabilmente la versatilità stilistica del musicista genovese, che riesce ad essere convincente tanto nello scream quanto nei passaggi melodici e recitativi; a completare il tutto un songwriting piuttosto vario e sicuramente di livello considerando che si tratta di un debutto, e una produzione essenziale e sufficientemente grezza, coerentemente con il genere proposto. Crediamo che sia necessario lavorare ulteriormente sul versante della personalità del sound (e magari asciugare un pochino le composizioni) ma che la base sia sicuramente promettente.
https://metalitalia.com/album/kolossus-the-line-of-the-border/
Bardzo fajną niespodziankę sprawiłem sam sobie, wrzucając do odtwarzacza nową płytę włoskiego projektu, który kręci się wokół black metalu podlanego krwią wikingów, przez co dostarcza bardzo oryginalnego, wymuszającego częste odtwarzanie tych dźwięków. Za projekt ten odpowiedzialny jest Helliminator, który wiele lat wcześniej stał na czele industrial - black metalowego projektu o nazwie T132. KOLOSSUS istnieje od 2014 roku i póki co dorobił się dwóch pozycji w swojej dyskografii, pierwszą z nich jest split z MANON, pochodzącym również z Włoch projektem, reprezentującym surową odmianę black metalu. Drugą zaś jest recenzowany poniżej album - The Line of the Border.
The Line of the Border to album, na którym znalazło się dziewięć utworów zamkniętych w ponad czterdziestu dwóch minutach. To co serwuje nam Helliminator w swoim projekcie to niezwykła mieszanka black metalu z viking metalem. Oczywiście znajdziemy tu również folkowe klimaty. Z pewnością nie zawiodą się na tym albumie fani MOONSORROW czy BATHORY z okresu gdy tworzył muzykę w klimacie viking metalowym. Gitary tworzą ciekawą atmosferę. Pojawia się tu sporo szybkich riffów, ale dla równowagi nie brakuje też tych wolnych. Usłyszymy tu solówki bardziej typowe dla rocka, co jest całkiem miłym zaskoczeniem. Oprócz gitar elektrycznych pojawiają się też gitary akustyczne, co mocniej oddaje tę folkową część. Wokal oddaje jeszcze mocniej atmosferę północy i jak na pierwiastek black metalowy projektu pojawia się częściej w czystym brzmieniu, niekiedy tylko schodząc w niższe partie, ale growlingiem bym tego nie nazwał. Wspomniane wcześniej elementy doskonale oddają aurę ducha północy i wydawać by się mogło że w tych włoskich żyłach płynie krew wikinga, bo na tyle dobrze jest skonstruowana ta muzyka, by sądzić, że powstała na półwyspie skandynawskim, a nie apenińskim. Wspomnieć należy, że w utworze Norge, gościnnie zaśpiewał Vicotnik, znany między innymi z DØDHEIMSGARD. W moim odczuciu minusem na tej płycie jest perkusja. Jednak nie w jej potknięciach bądź złego brzmienia, ale wydaje mi się, że narzuca za duże tempo, co trochę spycha w cień wspomnianego wcześniej ducha północy. Jest to jednak taki element, do którego można się przyzwyczaić po kilku odsłuchach, jednak początkowo trochę to przeszkadza. Jeżeli klimaty folku i viking metalu są Wam bliskie, to z pewnością polubicie tę płytę.
(English version)
I made a very nice surprise for myself by inserting a new album of an Italian project into the player, which revolves around black metal watered with Viking blood, thus providing a very original, forcing the frequent playback of these sounds. This project is the responsibility of Helliminator, who many years earlier led an industrial black metal project called T132. KOLOSSUS has been in existence since 2014, and has now earned two titles in its discography, the first is a split with MANON, a project from Italy as well, which represents a raw black metal. The second is the album reviewed below - The Line of the Border.
The Line of the Border is an album with nine tracks closed in over forty-two minutes. What Helliminator serves us in his project is an unusual mixture of black metal and viking metal. Of course, you will also find here a folk atmosphere. Surely fans of MOONSORROW or BATHORY from the period when he was creating music in viking metal atmosphere will not be disappointed on this album. Guitars create an interesting atmosphere. A lot of fast riffs appear here, but for the sake of balance there is no shortage of slow ones. We will hear here solos more typical for rock, which is quite a pleasant surprise. Apart from electric guitars, there are also acoustic guitars, which more strongly reflects this folk part. The vocal reflects even more strongly the atmosphere of the north and for the black metal element of the project it appears more often in a pure sound, sometimes just going down into lower parts, but I wouldn't call it growling. The aforementioned elements perfectly reflect the aura of the spirit of the North and it would seem that the blood of the Viking flows in these Italian veins, because this music is well enough constructed to think that it was created on the Scandinavian peninsula, not the Apennines. It should be mentioned that in the piece Norge, Vicotnik, known among others from DØDHEIMSGARD, sang as a guest singer. In my opinion, the minus on this album is the drums. However, not in it stumbles or bad sound, but it seems to me that it imposes too much tempo, which pushes a little bit into the shadows the mentioned earlier, northern spirit. However, it is an element that you can get used to after a few listenings, but at first it bothers a little. If the atmosphere of folk and viking metal is close to you, you will certainly like this record.
https://wrotakrypty.blogspot.com/2020/09/kolossus-line-of-border.html
Este italiano autonombrado Helliminator quien es el único integrante de esta banda de black metal, esperamos que nos siga presentando y grabando cosas grandes y excepcionales como este primer trabajo titulado "The Line Of The Border" , que para ser su debut ya tiene una carga extra a superar su propia linea que se ha fijado por el momento , musicalmente hablando.
Por la portada , por los símbolos y en la liricas así como en las composiciones nos encamina a su gusto personal de este multi instrumentista genovés, que sus claras influencias sin lugar a dudas primeramente es Bathory principalmente acoplando ese black épico y combativo y Enslaved, amalgamando y fusionando estas influencias a su modo y predilección sin dejar como premisa los temas de la cultura nórdica gélida y oscura de esta temática alóctona de Italia.
Son nueve los temas de este disco , todos con títulos de una sola palabra y son casi 40 minutos de emblemática música de esta banda italiana.
"Abyss" con inicio sobrio e interesante como si fuera un pequeño tributo a Bathory.
"Fog" desciende la niebla de los montes nórdicos para ofrecer una ejecución de acorde a esta cultura e introspectiva del autor. Y recordándonos que los italianos no solo saben cantar buena opera sino también guturalizar buen black.
"Chains" se pudiera decir que es la mas "tranquila" pero no deja de gustar , pareciera un agradecimiento acústico a Odín.
"Sin" una expiación impoluta de black metal , liberación karmatica y extraordinario manejo de su profesión de acorde a los cambios y mid de batería.
"Journey" reafirma su conviccion e influencia de Bathory, que mas decir. Castíguense ustedes. Completamente en italiano.
Le siguen "Reborn" otra pincelada exacta con esas guitarras gélidas y densas nos harán indagar y volver a escucharla.
"Shores" la batalla esta lista y Kolossus sabrá ejecutar este corto pasaje. Un descanso para lo que viene en seguida.
"Norge" un tributo espectacular a ese pais fiordo ocupándose de las voces Vicotnik de la banda noruega de black metal Dodheimsgard, quizás como un plus o mejor dicho otro plus a este disco, de la música y ejecución que mas puedo decir.
Y por ultimo ya para apagar la luz e irnos cierra "Glimmer" introducción con arpegios dignos de un cierre excelso y antagónico.
Quizás lo que entre muchas cosas se pudiera resaltar seria el grado ejecución y la versatilidad con que acopla los arreglos tanto melódicos como liricos, las canciones nos dejaran con ansias de escuchar mas y el único remedio es volver a escucharlas.
Para mi seria lógico decir que todo el disco es bueno pero también hay que reconocer que hay canciones , la verdad, como opinión me quedo con "Fog", "Chains", "Reborn" "Journey" "Norge" y "Glimmer" , lo ven todo el disco!
Si algo se pudiera cuestionar a modo de critica seria la portada , mas sin embargo , lo sencillo es mas enigmático que lo complicado.
TUTTO BENE
https://www.facebook.com/mutante.zine.31/posts/145763060528115
Nouveau numéro consacré à The Ritual Productions et Satanath Records par la même occasion. C'est tellement appréciable d'avoir des partenaires de qualité et fiables à cette époque où tout semble partir en vrille ! Je ne remercierai jamais assez Jasper de The Ritual pour son engagement auprès du Scribe, lui qui fut dans les premiers à me faire confiance, à une époque où le Scribe était encore une toute petite chenille. Aujourd'hui, grâce à vous, lecteurs, de plus en nombreux et fidèles (merci !!) j'espère pouvoir contribuer à permettre à ce type de label, de grande qualité et fidèle aux valeurs de l'underground, de continuer son oeuvre d'éducation musicale et d'édification des masses. Au sommaire de ce numéro, rien de moins que le nouvel album du Suisse Enoid, un disque qui va marquer les esprits, j'en suis sûr, et le black/viking metal étonnant et agréablement perturbant de l'italien Kolossus...Bonne lecture et SURTOUT : bonnes écoutes et bons achats ! Underground will never die ! Le Scribe
LES CROCS DU SCRIBE THE RITUAL PRODUCTIONS VOLUME IV
Kolossus nous vient d'Italie, ce qui n'est pas évident de prime abord lorsqu'on sait que le groupe pratique un black metal viking froid et mélodique respirant le grand nord à pleines narines. Ce The Line Of The Border est le premier album de ce one-man band porté par Helliminator (bon on a vu mieux comme pseudo).
Derrière un artwork particulièrement réussi (il faut avouer que ça dispose bien) se cache une musique dont les composants sont plutôt singuliers. Empreints d'influences nordiques, le grand Bathory en tête, Kolossus développe sur cet album un black froid et véloce (la batterie ne ralentit pas des masses) tout en restant fortement mélodique (les guitares tissent une toile musicale plutôt ensorcelante). Le travail le plus original et le plus intéressant selon moi concernant cet album est celui effectué sur les voix. Si Helliminator n'est pas un "grand" vocaliste (après tout le génial Quorthon ne l'était pas non plus) il compense cette carence par un sens de la mélodie et une gestion des voix très variée, avec pas mal de voix claires, d'effets, de passages folk qui viennent faire respirer la musique plutôt dense du copain de Gênes.
Cet album n'est pas exempt de défauts, comme cette sensation tenace de ne pas bien comprendre toujours où veut nous emmener Kolossus, mais cela peut devenir aussi une qualité lorsque l'ensemble devient si déroutant qu'on ressent comme un vent de fraîcheur à son écoute (l'excellent "Sin" et ses voix qui passent du murmure au hurlement).
Nous voici donc aux prises avec un disque étonnant : parfois à la limite du bancal, mais ayant l'immense mérite de ne pas reproduire trop ce que l'on a pu entendre ailleurs (ce qui, dans un créneau comme le black/viking metal est déjà un petit exploit). Il fait partie de ces disques étranges dont les écoutes successives donnent un sentiment différent à chaque fois. Mais après tout, ne s'agit pas d'un de ces albums qui gagne à être écouter longtemps et souvent ? L'inverse du côté "kleenex" de trop de disques actuels en somme.
Avec The Line Of The Border vous pouvez être sûrs de ne pas vous ennuyer, sous les multiples couches de la musique se cachent des tonnes de beautés à découvrir...
New issue dedicated to The Ritual Productions and Satanath Records at the same time. It's so nice to have quality and reliable partners in these times when everything seems to be going wrong! I can never thank Jasper of The Ritual enough for his commitment to The Scribe, who was one of the first to trust me, at a time when The Scribe was still a tiny little caterpillar. Today, thanks to you, readers, more and more numerous and faithful (thank you!!) I hope to be able to contribute to allow this type of label, of high quality and faithful to the values of the underground, to continue its work of musical education and edification of the masses. In the summary of this issue, nothing less than the new album of the Swiss Enoid, a record that will mark the spirits, I'm sure, and the amazing and pleasantly disturbing black/viking metal of the Italian Kolossus... Good reading and Above all: good listening and good shopping! Underground will never die ! The Scribe
Kolossus comes to us from Italy, which is not obvious at first sight when you know that the band practices a cold and melodic viking black metal breathing the far north with full nostrils. This The Line Of The Border is the first album of this one-man band carried by Helliminator (well we saw better as a pseudonym).
Behind a particularly successful artwork (it must be admitted that it is well arranged) hides a music whose components are rather singular. Filled with Nordic influences, with the great Bathory in mind, Kolossus develops on this album a cold and swift black (the drums don't slow down the masses) while remaining strongly melodic (the guitars weave a rather bewitching musical web). The most original and most interesting work in my opinion concerning this album is the work done on the vocals. If Helliminator is not a "great" vocalist (after all the great Quorthon was not either) he compensates for this deficiency by a sense of melody and a very varied vocal management, with quite a few clear voices, effects, folk passages that make the rather dense music of his friend from Genoa breathe.
This album is not without flaws, such as the tenacious feeling of not always understanding where Kolossus wants to take us, but this can also become a quality when the whole becomes so confusing that one feels like a breath of fresh air when listening to it (the excellent "Sin" and its voices that go from whispering to screaming).
So here we are with an astonishing record: sometimes on the verge of being wobbly, but with the immense merit of not reproducing too much of what we've heard elsewhere (which, in a niche like black/viking metal, is already a small feat). It is one of those strange records whose successive listening gives a different feeling each time. But after all, isn't it one of those albums that benefits from being listened to long and often? The opposite of the "kleenex" side of too many current discs in short.
With The Line Of The Border you can be sure not to get bored, under the multiple layers of music are hidden tons of beauty to discover...
https://www.webzinelescribedurock.com/2020/08/les-crocs-du-scribe-apocalypse-now.html
Screen of review.
https://www.dargedik.com/2020/05/kolossus-line-of-border-2020-resena.html
One-man bands. Não nos cansamos dela. Claro que não ser sinónimo de música manhosa ajuda bastante – estatuto que demorou a atingir desde o interesse generalizado em Burzum que não terá sido a primeira mas sem dúvida que foi a que mais impulsionou a coisa no black metal. Este é um projecto italiano, que junta ao black metal (what else?) uma dose saudável de melodia épica e até alguma dissonância. Não sendo nada de novo, os temas em questão conseguem conquistar pela simplicidade desarmante com que se instalam. Não é preciso grandes artíficios, e hoje em dia, mais que nunca, o importante é conseguir capturar o espírito certo e a música certo. Exactamente como temos aqui.
Kolossus ist ein Projekt, das sich scheinbar nicht einordnen lassen will. Optisch und thematisch könnte es Viking Metal sein, musikalisch gehts dann aber in eine ganz andere Richtung. Gegründet wurde die Band 2014 in Italien und hat zunächst 2018 eine Split mit Manon veröffentlicht, nun folgt mit „The Line of the Border“ das Debüt-album.
Das Album geht thematisch etwas in die pagan/viking-Richtung wie mir scheint, musikalisch steckt da aber eine ganz andere Nummer dahinter. Beim Intro ist die Welt noch in Ordnung. Ruhige Akustikgitarren, etwas chorischen Männergesang, der erste richtige Track geht danach allerdings eher in eine proggige, zwischenzeitlich psychedelische Richtung. Das Grundgerüst bildet dissonanter Black Metal mit progressiven Einschüben, vielen Riffwechseln und komplexen Gitarren-Riffs. Die Drums machen im Hintergrund ordentlich Feuer und liefern dem Gebräu einen soliden Unterbau, auf dem sich die Komplexität dann weiter aufbaut. Zusätzlich zu den komplexen Gitarren legt sich noch ein psychedelischer Schleier über das Werk, der sich in wabernden Keyboards und langezogenen, trägen Gesängen, gerne auch mehrstimmig, äußert. Dabei halten sich die aggresiv nach vorne gehenden und die eher auf Atmosphäre gehenden, etwas ruhigeren Parts die Waage und wabern fließend ineinander über. Zusätzlich zu den Klargesängen gibts hier natürlich auch klassisches Gekeife auf die Lauscher, das den harschen Parts gut zu Gesicht steht und sich dank der soliden Produktion schön ins Gesamtbild schmiegt. Die Scheibe spielt auf so vielen Arten mit den eigenen Erwartungen, liefert immer wieder was neues, interessantes ohne sich aus dem doch recht hypnotischen Trott zu lösen. Hier eine melodische Hook, da etwas Akustikgeklimper, da etwas Epik. Da ist in den 42 Minuten für jeden was dabei.
Wer hier allzuviel Viking Metal erwartet, der wird leider enttäuscht und bekommt stattdessen progressiven Black Metal mit Psychedelic-Noten und einer sehr eigenen Atmosphäre. Hier und da kleinere Folk-Einflüsse lassen sich zwar ausmachen, das ists dann aber auch gewesen. Nichtsdestotrotz liefert Kolossus mit „The Line of the Border“ ein intensives und spannendes Album ab, das es in sich hat. Schöne Ding!
https://metalviewer.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/kolossus-the-line-of-the-border/
Si hace unos días tiraba del palo Grind, hoy toca Black metal de corte atmosférico del proyecto de Helliminator llamado KOLOSSUS. Proveniente de Geona (Liguria), The Line of the Border, debut al largo (después de un Split con Manon) me tiene encandilado porque siendo más de lo mismo, está trabajado de una manera que respira años 90 por los cuatro costados, tira hacia los medios tiempos y se enclava en cierta atmósfera extraña que ni termina de ser Avantgarde ni es convencional al 100%.
La formación se completa con las colaboraciones de la batería de Emanuele Prandoni, bastante curtido en bandas como Anamnesi, Ossario o Vultur (por nombrar unas cuantas), voces esporádicas de un tal Norge, otras femeninas en clave de spoken word a cargo de "Giusy", solo de guitarra de alguien llamado "Daisy" y artwork de aires vikingos a cargo de (toma ya) "Daisy is Dead". Quizás la colaboración más sonada sea la del noruego Vicotnik (Dødheimsgard, Manes, Naer Mataron o Ved Buens Ende...) lo que ya de por sí le da un importante caché al asunto, máxime si el álbum resulta tan bueno como lo es este The Line of the Border. Completa los aspectos técnicos el impresionante sonido obtenido en en la grabación y mezcla de los HVN Recordings, mientras que la edición corre a cargo de Satanath Records y The Ritual Productions.
En 42 minutos KOLOSSUS se basta para darnos todo un viaje de sensaciones atávicas de espíritu nórdico que aparca la teatralidad italiana en el metal extremo para abrazar el clásico sonido permafrost noruego, algo muy patente en la profusión de cánticos susurrados a lo primeros Dimmu Borgir (cuando estaban más cerca del Pagan que de lo sinfónico); así es como empieza el disco con "Abyss": guitarra en semi acústica levemente rasgada haciendo de intro con cánticos de corte etéreo dando paso como un cañón al contraste del doble bombo en "Fog" que nunca termina de irse por cotas demasiado rápidas y sí más en una atmósfera contenida.
La afinación aguda característica de las guitarras da ese toque noruego/sueco al asunto, todo dentro de una vértebra melódica nada convencional (cambios de ritmo cercanos al Doom Folk en ciertos pasajes). Sigue otro puente fantástico en "Chains" (preciosa melodía acústica y voces en Spoken Word), para luego enrarecerse el ambiente en "Sin", extrañísima mezcla de melodías orientales dentro de un tema de Folk Vikingo que me descoloca por completo. He leído un montón de reseñas sobre este disco y creo que todas andan bastante perdidas.... KOLOSSUS está más cerca del Avantgarde que se hacía al principio en Dodheimsgard o Ved Buens Ende (salvando las diferencias, por supuesto) que del metal extremo convencional.... es decir, las melodías son intrincadas, el tratamiento de las voces bastante originales... y evidentemente no se llega al punto de ruptura radical de aquellas (lo cual no impide que suenen muy frescos).
"Journey" sin embargo sí que es un trallazo en toda regla. A la yugular como Satyricon, cabalgada a medio tiempo de corte Immortal y lanzamiento de meteoros mediante la catapulta de un doble bombo encabronado. Dueto imposible entre un solo de guitarra (Daisy) y las notas de un piano/teclado, para mí sin embargo es quizás el tema más flojo del disco (por tradicional)... prefiero con mucho el sincopado arranque de "Reborn", tradicional y nada especial en sí pero muy bien tocado pero que a mitad se parte dando lugar a un medio tiempo noventero lleno de Pagan Black a la antigua usanza, con predominancia de riffs de guitarras arpegiadas a lo Burzum. Cuando vuelve a acelerarse se refuerza la epicidad en un fade out largo y violento como pocos (me trae a la cabeza a los Gehenna).
El tramo final pasa por el interludio instrumental "Shores" que abre "Norge" con Vicotnik de Dodheimsgard a las voces y bueno... mejor escucharlo que describirlo. Impresionante. "Glimmer" y sus aires a Opeth con las acústicas en primer plano, para dejar luego paso a percusiones apocalípticas y una eclosión de brutalidad a las guitarras que recuerda a los primerísimos Katatonia para así, aunando melancolía y fiereza finiquitar por todo lo alto este fantástico "The Line of the Border".
https://lamuerteteniaunblog.blogspot.com/2020/12/kolossus-line-of-border-satanath.html
Инкарнация Bathory в 21-ом веке, а именно - в 2020 году. Произошедшая в солнечной Италии, - конечно, это вам не полуночная Скандинавия. Инкарнация странная и удивительная. Вопрос для меня номер один - а знает ли сам руководитель проекта Helliminator, что с ним произошло? И это серьезный вопрос. Одно дело, когда знает, но помалкивает... Хотя, отчего бы помалкивать... Bathory и Куортон Сет (RIP) руководитель его — это культ в металле. Тем более, что считается родоначальником и блэк металла, и точно - викинг металла. И приметьте - Black/Viking Metal, так характеризует издающий лейбл диск The Line Of The Border. Метал архивы пишут о группе попроще - Black Metal.
Сначала об истории. KOLOSSUS организован в 2014 году, а ранее проект назывался T132. Это написано на саундклауде формации. Был выпущен сплит с группой Manon. Потом началась работа над полноформатом.
Состав: Helliminator - vocals, guitars, bass, synth и ударник Emanuele Prandoni, который отбарабанил в более чем десятке итальянских команд. Для этого альбома был приглашена известная личность, музыкант Vicotnik — его вокал на норвежском (track 8 - Norge). Если вы первый раз слышите его фамилию, то только скажу, что он поет и играет в Dold Vorde Ens Navn, Strid, Ved Buens Ende, (ex-Manes, ex-Code, ex-Naer Mataron, ex-Fleurety (live), ex-Aphrodisiac, ex-Endwarfment).
Настоящий Black Metal, воплощенное средневековое ЗЛО.
Это будто бы альбом Bathory - Blood Fire Death (1988), пережитый и сыгранный в иной реальности. Кстати, на обложке Bathory, если помните, представлена картина, изображающая Дикую охота Одина. И первый трэк - эмбиентальный - так и называется: Odens Ride Over Nordland.
У KOLOSSUS также имеются прозрачные светлые акустические трэки — Abyss, Chains и Shores, которые удивительно контрастируют с основным материалом — бешеным блэк металлом, экстатическим, внутренне торжественным и высоким — по духу.
Смотрим трэк 2 - Fog – BM-резня, в которую, как нож в масло, вписывается нарративный голос, потом и поющий, тщательно внедренный в волны и волны жесткого прибоя гитар и ритм-секции. Небольшой мостик покоя с хрустящей гитарой и «чистым» вокалом, … а далее опять торжествующее хаосное ускорение — благо время и место позволяет - 7 с лишним минут.
А вот атмосферная Chains начинается со звуков легкого потрескивания винилового диска. Явная отсылка к олдовым временам...
Трэк Sin - более 7 минут. Как ни в чем ни бывало: - тракторно-танковый струнный ураган с забойным ритм-секционным базисом. А внутри скалистых шхер впечатаны древние песни викингов (еле слышны), которые вдруг вырываются наружу хоровыми чистыми вокалами. И как штурмовые знамена полощутся над угольно-черными боевыми ладьями. Хотелось, чтобы было понятно и ясно: ультра-деструктивный холодный Black Metal здесь неожиданно встретился с некоторыми чистыми вокалами и сходу пожрал их, испытывая несказанное удовольствие. Настоящая блэковая стена звука, которая оставляет за собой пустошь, глад и мор. Как после нашествие норманнов Бьерна Железнобокого на северо-западные итальянские мирные провинции в 9-ом веке нашей эры.
Постановка звука на диске — особая, гнетущая, и далеко не влезающая в саунд-проекты «домашних блэк-метал собачек».
https://vk.com/wall216331265_4500
I am a word buff. Been for as long as I can remember. So when I saw the one word song titles on this album by Italian KOLOSSUS it brought a smile to my mouth. There is something to the simplicity of just using one word to name your song. It is short and to the point. No fancying about. I also took a liking to the album art. Just a picture of a lonely iceberg floating in the ocean. You don’t need more to make it effective. Musically this is along the lines of Viking/black metal. When it comes to my Viking metal I want it bigger than life, totally OTT, no holding back. This is not that. And because of that I only like it to a degree. But I do like it.
Italian Kolossus on this album presents not just a straight forward black metal - expect much more music diversity in songs of this project. Opening intro with sublime instrumentals and vocal chants has made me wonder if that`d appear as progressive, medieval, or other kind of black metal in latter parts of the album. And yes, it does, it just turns out that Kolossus sounds very extreme and they play many, very fast and excruciating black metal songs. Although it`s not always happening like that, music also has craft and sound structures in mid-tempos, guitar riffs sound really sharp and ominous – even better when in a background you`ll hear some keyboard ambience, then songs become more atmospheric. What I think is very striking in songs of the band are sort of avant-garde guitar textures in music, while at the same time; the band just sounds very black metal. They also have progressive twists and melodic post-black metal influences in tracks as well. There are some gentle rock sounding tracks on the album, or guitar solos that not always sound metal, which is what show bigger potential and musical diversity of the band.
What else is more significant in those tracks are melodic vocals, humming layers, dark chants, Viking chants, whispers, spoken vocals, and tearing up growling-shrieks. Lyrics are in English, Italian and French, sang by different people and both sex.
I like musical contrasts in this album - very extreme black metal on one side, avant-garde metal, Viking metal and rock on the other. When songs sound chaotic, music also has this kind of ambitious fluency going on, in some tracks; When I just thought that it will be just another straightforward, abyssal black metal song of the band, I quickly had been surprised by Kolossus and fact that they were able to ease harshness of music in the moments when melodic vocals appear, and by this magical substance that this album has in mixes of sub-genres. Surely, it`s not only black metal album but it won`t be wrong if you say that it is.
I do not mention song titles of the band this time around, because I just think you should definitely give this album a go, because it`s entirely an original piece of dark metal in my opinion.
Helliminator, tuo saapasjalkamaan kenties eniten Norsk Svarta Metall -spagettia slurpautellut, hurjan taiteilijanimen omaava herrasmiesoletettu on Kolossus-nimen alla saanut debyyttilevynsä “The Line Of The Border” maailman korvien kuultavaksi. Voi ihanaa, kerrankin laadukasta sooloilua! Ei siellä Satanath Recordsilla näköjään aina metsään mennä artistikiinnitysten kanssa, heh!
Lyhyen, mutta tunnelmallisen viikinkihoilailun mieleen tuovan intron jälkeen tärähtää “Fog” soimaan niin että bläkkistättärää! Biisi on monipuolinen näyttö levyn laadukkuudesta, ja loppupuolella tykittelyä, kuullaan erittäin miellyttävää riffittelyä sekä kikkailua. Viihdyn!
Soundipolitiikassa on tehty vain oikeita ratkaisuja, erityisesti kielisoittimien soundeissa on asioita, joita black metalissa haluan kuulla: rosoisuutta, kolinaa, kaaosta! Rummut jyräävät mahtipontisesti ja Helliminatorin rääkyörinät vakuuttavat. Ainoastaan puhtaat laulut eivät oikein lähde, kuulostaen lähinnä epävireiseltä sumutorvelta, jaiks! Kaoottisen, mutta jylhän, jopa eeppisen kaahauksen toismaallisessa kuristusotteessa tuntee kaikuja Emperoriin jossain ”In The Nightside Eclipsen” ja ”Anthems To The Welkin At Duskin” välimaastossa, aikaan ennen kuin homma meni aivan Batman-soundtrack-metalliksi.
“The Line Of the Border” on debyyttilevy, jota kehtaa suositella kaikille eeppisemmästä black metalista innostuvalle. Erittäin hyvä avausliike Kolossukselta kokopitkien saralla.
https://metalliluola.fi/kolossus-the-line-of-the-border-2020/
Helliminator of Kolossus has been a solo musician since he recorded three demos for an industrial black metal project he did from 1994 to 2004 or ’05 called T132. I looked up this project and couldn’t find any information about those demos, so I don’t know if they’re even available anymore. Maybe they were released on a limited basis because of financial constraints and/or because he wanted to keep a certain amount of secrecy, but I’d check them out sometime if I had the chance. It was a long stretch between T132 and his newest project; in 2018 he and fellow Italian multi-instrumentalist Albrecht Schwarzimmer of Manon released a split CD, and last month saw the release of his debut album “The Line of the Border.” Being from Italy Helliminator could have easily taken inspiration from sources as diverse as Cultus Sanguine, Necrodeath, Opera IX, and Bulldozer. Instead, he looked to the beginning of the Norwegian black metal revival to brainstorm ideas; bands like Emperor, Enslaved, Borknagar, and Helheim. Listening to an Italian re-interpretation of Norse black metal, with many hints of the Italian approach to the genre, he seems to rediscover the seditious stoutheartedness of the former while managing to secure the influence of his home country so they harmonize together. This is especially so in the themes of religious conflict between ancient paganism and Catholicism that are part of the narrative of “The Line of the Border.” The Bandcamp link that was passed to me by Satanath Records doesn’t include lyrics, but the song titles suggest religious conflict is a substantial part of the concept here. This is gorgeously, seductively rendered as the album takes you from somber, sepulchral passages to tumultuous compositions with solid, frenetic drumming, anamorphic bass, somnolent guitars, eerie whispers, mellifluous vocals, and anguished fry screams. All this adds to an album with a feeling of immenseness, of expansiveness and magnificence that expresses an ages-old conflict in a convincing way. The effect is subtle but quite profound, making “The Line of the Border” well worth the effort of seeking out.
https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2020/04/full-length-review-kolossus-line-of.html