The titans of Greek mythology were deities possessing great levels of strength. Together, the original twelve titans overthrew the primordial deities, Gaia and Uranus, their mother and father. These titans ruled the Golden Age of Greece and became the first Pantheon of Greek deities. Among the twelve, Titan Hyperion was deemed the first to observe the movement of celestial bodies and enlighten the others of this revelation. For his discoveries, he was made the father to the sun (Helios), moon (Selene), and dawn (Eos).
New York’s Black Metal titans, Krallice, parallel the epics of the original titans. Since their inception and debut in 2008; Mick Barr, Colin Marston, Nick McMaster, and Lev Weinstein have supplanted the primordial deities of black metal and have ushered in a new age of black metal. This quartet opts for masterful technicality and mesmerizing rhythm instead of the proverbial rawness of past black metal, and lately they have been opting for surprises as well. Out of the blue, they released Ygg Huur with virtually no warning or preparation at the end of July. It is an entrancing and dynamic album that made numerous year-end lists. More importantly it showed the significance and necessity of Krallice’s talent in the ever-shifting landscape of black metal.
It had been almost three years between releases Years Past Matter and Ygg Huur. For Krallice to release more music so soon after Ygg Huur, while not impossible, seemed a little unlikely. That is until their Facebook alluded to the release of Hyperion in January and Mick Barr mentioned in an interview with Echoes and Dust that they had new music coming. What I did not expect was to wake up on New Years Day to a exceptional, new three-song EP popping up in my news feed.
Hyperion, was recorded in 2013 in guitarist Colin Marston’s Menegroth studio. The extended player just eclipses 23 minutes in run time, but each of the songs, “Hyperion,” “The Guilt of Time,” and “Assuming Memory”, are extravagantly precise displays of black metal. There is such a fiery intensity packed into these three songs, it barely feels like an EP. Of course, the best part about Hyperion being an EP is that I can continually listen to it again and again as I have been since its release. What ultimately stands out to me the most about Hyperion is that it showed Krallice had been on a track to go a bit of a different direction for their next album, which ultimately became Ygg Huur. It appears that this progression had been blooming over the past couple years or so. It is sort of like they gave you a final product (Ygg Huur) first, and then after you battled with yourself to find how they reached that conclusion, they gave you a crucial part of the formula (Hyperion).
Krallice are masterminds of metal and some of the most forward-thinking musicians around. With the quality of music this group produces, it is easy to understand the fervor that surrounds something like Hyperion. Krallice does not miss. Another release, another stirring success.
Rating: 4.5/5