Like Frayle or Chelsea Wolfe paired with Irist or Rotting Christ, Hand Of Kalliach deliver an opus that’s both terrifying yet tender over the course of nine blisteringly beautiful tracks. It’s not just the heaviness that holds court here on sophomore outing Corryvreckan from the Scottish duo but the constant blend of extremes. Whether it’s John Fraser’s sustained screams or Sophie Fraser’s siren-like swoon coupled with crushing shreds one moment and serene atmosphere the next, Hand Of Kalliach load up their second full-length with an endless array of viscerally vibrant sounds.
“Three Seas” is a pretty perfect start easing listeners in with Sophie’s angelic voice echoing out before John’s throated growl slowly emerges from the depths to bring this face off to fruition with “Fell Reigns” offering up probably the most straightforward Metal track on an album filled with outliers. “Dìoghaltas”, on the other hand, is downright diabolical with the way that John’s voice intertwines with the guitars and drums before Sophie’s haunting voice answers and coats the track in an ethereal glow.
It’s almost cruel how good “Cirein-cròin” is compared to a lot of Heavy music on the scene right now with the way that the Fraser’s distinct personalities and respective instrumentation collide to result in the most exquisite explosion out of the wreckage while “Deathless” flares up next and pulsates like an alarm sounding. “The Hubris of Prince Bhreacan” goes hard and never lets up with a steady barrage of percussive noise and the dynamic duality of John and Sophie’s vocal range vibrating at its’ core while “Unbroken You Remain” is pure headbanging delight from start to finish.
“The Cauldron” is another onslaught of sound that boasts bombastic performances from both of Hand Of Kalliach’s leads as well as some stellar riffage produced on top of all that with Corryvreckan finale “Of Twilight And The Pyre” practically creating a whole new genre with this Melodic Death Folk motif that flows throughout the almost seven minute epic album ender.
Corryvreckan arrives through Prosthetic Records on February 23rd and you can pre-order/pre-save your very own now by heading here. For more from Hand Of Kalliach, follow them across their socials when you click here, here, or here.