After reviewing Demonstealer’s Propaganda Machine I felt I needed a challenge and the Hand of God guided me to Calligram’s second album, Position|Momentum. This was not an easy album to review, while my feet are firmly planted in the decaying flesh and rotting bones of Atmospheric Black Metal, Calligram treads a different path, a tight rope even, with its vocals reminiscent of the dark, ritualistic, ambient black metal (which black metal isn’t dark, though I wonder), the band has an unmistakable d-beat punk style. With heavy rolling riffs, all this culminates in a rather unique sound that is an exercise in terror, anxiety and fleeing unseen demons.
So let us dive in, headfirst into the nightmare crafted by Calligram. As mentioned, this is Calligram’s second album and you can see that the band has polished some of its rough edges. In this album, their melodies have an ever-rising, eerie anticipation—a sense that doom was inevitable. While many in the genre have focused on violence with relentless blastbeats, Calligram's approach is built upon their skill, crafting a blend of fierceness and mysterious shadows, giving the album a distinct atmospheric feel.
While Calligram continue to honor the signature traits of the second wave, this album goes beyond replicating influences like Darkthrone and Mayhem. Yes, it is replete with tremolo guitar, rapid blastbeats, but it is the vocal style of Matteo Rizzardo that lifts the album. They waste no time in getting right down to business and the sense of dread and sorrow are present from the first song, Sul Dolore which conjures a stark beauty, like a broken mirror reflecting a shattered soul. Meanwhile, "Frantumi in Itinere" unfolds as a slow malevolent crawl—a growing malevolence. While many may argue that Ex-Sistere is at the pinnacle of this mountain of despair, I would argue in favour of Eschilo. The track opens with somber clean guitar then dives into a world of blast beats and at the 3:15 minute mark adroitly shifts tempo. This, I feel is the essence of Calligram, taking you on a journey starting with an intense feeling of impending doom, anxiety, of being in an inhospitable and unfamiliar environment then unleashing unseen forces that chase and hunt you down and finally bringing you face to face with the horrid, abhorrent and repulsive shapes of your pursuers.
Other tracks that stand out are Ex-Sistere, Ostraneie and the final track, Seminari Dieci. Per Jamie is another track that is worth a mention. While on the first run through the album, it feels oddly out of place (it being an instrumental track) but on the second and third listen I felt myself wanting to get to the track faster. And I could finally appreciate the reason for adding an instrumental track that is bereft of double bass drumming, distortion laden guitars and instead focuses on building an atmosphere filled with doom, sorrow and knowledge of horrors that will inevitably follow. But alas, it ends too soon. At 2:24 minutes, it feels too short and makes you wonder how much farther the band could have taken this had this been a longer track.
As always, I will add a short text on criticisms and failings. Calligram’s failings aren’t their own, but of the fallen lord they serve – Second Wave Black Metal. The genre itself is punctuated with blastbeats, riffs and a vocal style that offer little variation and songs often blend into one another. While Calligram brings its very own brand and style of approaching the genre with shifts in tempo, punk elements and adding trumpets too, the genre itself can get a bit tiring after a few songs, with similar demonic cries that resonate throughout the album.
Having said that, I enjoyed the album, maybe not as much the first time I heard it, but like an evil, thorny vine that quietly grows and ensnares you and grows stronger with each drop of your blood, vying to slowly choke you and extinguish the light in your eyes, the album grew on me as well.
So for all you practitioners of Satanism, grab your goblet of blood, bring out the torn and re-sewen bodies of sundry animals and revel in the eternal darkness as you listen to Position|Momentum by Calligram.
Commentaires