Album Review: Kaivs - After the Flesh
Reviewed by Sam Jones
In the unending pursuit of quality in extreme metal we’ve come round to Italy now, and to Kaivs with their first full length record titled After The Flesh. Only formed in 2022, out of the city of Rome, Kaivs released their first EP just a year later titled Horrend and, earlier this year, the band put out two Singles that were evidently building towards something more. Now we have that very something more before us: After The Flesh, the band’s first full length record. Immediately signing on to Brutal Records after the aforementioned EP release, the band are now back with that same record label for the distribution of After The Flesh, due for a late October release window. I’m always curious about bands and records I’ve never heard of before and especially when it’s a band’s first album too, so let’s take a look at what Kaivs, yet early into their career, may offer us for the future.
When you listen to After The Flesh, the band gift you with a huge soundscape that has utterly refused to hammer down its instrumentation and vocals to make it more accessible to people. It’s clear Kaivs wrote this record as death metal fans for death metal fans since its scope feels huge, and their riffs and sonic assault doesn’t simply fade into the background but actively assails each of its walls. The guitar tone is something akin to the Swedish extreme style whereby the tone has seen all limiters removed and thus their sound doesn’t merely stop when the next note or chord is played, but the resonance is carried over until the track is done. However, differing from the Swedish style, Kaivs saw to it their sound still harbours the weight of a modern death metal attack so whilst their tone feels ripping it doesn’t slice right through you which would craft a completely different soundscape than the one we’ve been provided with. It’s also pretty loud and you can feel the clenched aesthetic coursing through their performance so while it has its similarities to bands like Dismember we know right away the vibe Kaivs are aspiring for.
Curiously yet, Kaivs are not completely devoted to all things speed and frantic, their tempo can shift suddenly and give us songwriting that is far more familiar to one listening to a doom metal record. I personally wouldn’t deem this a death/doom album by any means since the aesthetics lean too far in one direction for the band do be outright death/doom, but it’s great that they show this tendency to break the mould of their songwriting since audiences will know there’s surprises in store for them. It’s arguable that the weight and clenched guitar tone they exhibit is excellently suited towards a slower pace since it gives the band the freedom to let these huge chords drop on our face without worrying over the need to return to speed to satisfy their fanbase. The surprises only continue to mount and build upon as the band utilise church bells and other ambient components to give their soundscape additional layering. Whilst their death metal attack may seem initially by the books, the band unveil an increasing number of elements that aid them in sticking out within your mind.
The record on the whole captured a raw and relentless aesthetic across its runtime and no doubt it’s aided by the mix, and the production applied also. Had the band vied for this choice of guitar tone or drumming with a cleaner, refined production then its potential impact would be dearly diminished; it would likely still be vastly entertaining, though its potential replayability wouldn’t be as firmly weaponised. The fact that their production and deliberate mixing efforts result in a purposefully unrefined soundscape is what grants Kaivs such a commanding presence. It’s like when you watch a car crash in slow motion; you know it’s abrasive to see but there will always be that morbid wish to witness the carnage that is a result because of it. The same is said for records of this production style too for when bands such as Kaivs write their riffs and track progressions in precisely this manner, it only makes sense for their production to match the energy they’re emitting.
Additionally, the coarse and scathing nature of this record creates a listening experience where everything composing the soundscape carries a punching, eviscerating impact. Whether it’s the riffs alone or accompanied by the drums, or the pace carrying everything along, Kaivs create a flow of extreme metal that meanders and rides a wavelength up and down and absolutely forgoes any concept of a smooth ride. Even the most rudimentary drum strikes and patterns possess this weight that crashes and spreads out, so even whilst the band are clearly displaying the riff sequences that are easy to digest, and we can see where we’re being taken, the band don’t make it simple for us. The band are effectively forcing us to constantly engage and work against the record as if After The Flesh itself is engaging in the pit with us, pushing, thrusting back, checking to see how we’ll push back next. Though this album isn’t that long, you’ll be wanting to return to it since it hasn’t come to play nicely with you and is ready for the pit as well as many eager fans.
In conclusion, Kaivs first album After The Flesh may immediately feel like any other run-of-the-mill death metal work to start with, but when you begin peeling back its layers and keep listening, you’ll find there’s a lot going on, and a lot that had to happen for meticulous reasons to get this kind of record the way it is. After The Flesh is really a great way by which we can understand the complexities of production and album mixing since very specific decisions need to be made to actually get an album sounding this way. In addition, though a soundscape is this nature can be viewed as a cookie-cutter death metal style the band completely own it. There’s plenty of variety to found within in spite of the approach their songwriting takes as they slow their pacing now and again, incorporate more atmospheric elements etc. It’s also an album that uses it’s time appropriately since it doesn’t run for too long, but had it run for much longer the abrasive and shoving aesthetic After The Flesh carries may have overstayed itself. But it runs for the exact right amount of time to convey its weight and strength that continuously slams into you. A band worth keeping an eye on.
