Album Review: Kollapse & Grava - Kollapse & Grava
Reviewed by Rob Barker
Two of Denmark’s finest noisy beasts get together with this powerhouse of a split. It’s always nice to hear the efforts of different artists combining in collaborative efforts, and they usually bring out the heaviest, darkest and most sinister of what both sides of the coin can offer. Kollapse & Grava is no exception to this.
Starting with a short instrumental Invokation, an effort by both bands, a dark, ominous piece that sets up to the first of the major songs of the split. Kollapse take the first major track with Haematomets Filosofi, nine-plus minutes of what I think I’d like to describe as blackened mathcore. A homage to the mid-00’s diminished stabs of mathcore meet the pain and suffering of post-metal; not a million miles away from The Mirimar Disaster, and Old Man Gloom’s “No” era – menacing and leaving the listener feeling like they’ve been hit by a train (in a good way…). Grava go next for their iteration of the same titled track, showcasing the aggression of early Gojira, coupled with the desperation, despair and misery of Amenra.
Knael and Omen are the next two joint efforts of both bands, putting more eerie and ethereal darkness into the mix, reminisce of the Sunn o))) / Ulver “Terrestrials” efforts. Grava go solo again next with Red Furnace, starting it off with what is absolutely the best guitar riff of the entire album; a really exhilarating track, which despite its slow tempo, uses true energy and aggression to utmost power. Kollapse with the same title track prove they’ve not only found probably the ugliest sounding chord in the world, but actually use it to relevant marvellous, crushing effect. Absolutely Herculean power in those first thirty-ish seconds, progressing into a discomfortingly calm body that snakes and coils along, leading the listener to a fantastic climax. A final colab effort Knell finishes the album off entirely, properly rounding things off after the chaos of the last two tracks.
A wonderfully dark and sinister album, not just sticking to the colour-by-number formulas set out as “typical heavy music”. Almost overwhelmingly heavy at times, and bursting with a variety of influences, this is an album to showcase the finest that both bands can offer. Reminding me consistently of many of my favourite bands (and I mean in an “ooooh that was sick” kind of way, as opposed to an “ooooh they’ve ripped them off” kind of way), my only real complaint about the release is that I wish it could have had a few more tracks on it to really take me further along the journey. And honestly, the only problem that’s really caused is wanting to support both bands (both collaboratively and as individual acts), check out everything they’ve done, and really enjoy the fuck out of them. Listen to the album its really good!
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