Kvadrat - The Horrible Dissonance of Oblivion
If the name of a sub genre does anything positive, it is to assist the lazy. Categorising and defining music into subheadings makes it easier for the listener, but it can also unfairly pigeonhole a band. A potential viewer of a film does not need it to be broken down into a subheading of action or thriller movie. To explore the style or outline then they will seek out a trailer. Kvadrat, from Greece, should not have to title their new album The Horrible Dissonance of Oblivion when their debut EP from 2021 was titled Ψ Υ Χ Ι Κ Η Α Π Ο Σ Υ Ν Θ Ε Σ Η. What next? Will Converge call their next album, The Hardcore Revolution?
To compound this, and to make it all the more confusing, the track titles on The Horrible Dissonance of Oblivion are in Greek. I understand the dissonance tag; it has been created to define bands such as Deathspell Omega, Ulcerate, Verberis, Blut Aus Nord and Kvadrat because their style of Death Metal is heavy, mesmerising, and the notes and chords are wildly unconventional, and they often veer off the course of the rhythm. However, as a set of ideas, there is harmony in what they are trying to achieve - it all works together, and sounds good together. The bands are not playing Death Metal riffs and singing the way a Country singer does. Harmony is the sound of things that sound good together, so harmony in extreme music is whatever the listener thinks and feels is good.
The Horrible Dissonance of Oblivion is a very good example of a band executing their vision. It is a masterclass in balancing power and extremity with emotion and feeling. The album cover is dark and menacing, and the blue and black colours and imagery fits with the emotion that the music conveys. It is an all encompassing package that encapsulates a feeling of senselessness.
The Horrible Dissonance of Oblivion is a destructive sounding album that is constantly moving and evolving, yet the destruction is one that comes with restraint and patience. It is about building things up and tearing them down. There is space and balance within the songs, and the band is patient at times and pummelling at others. I do hear a lot of a band like The Ocean in some of the expansive moments on the closing song, and the way that song builds in momentum towards its climax.
Kvadrat has X-Factor and that is a difficult thing to describe in words, but you know a band has it when you want to hit play immediately after it is finished, and you don't initially know exactly why - there is just something intangible in the air, hovering above the band and within this album. For a debut full length, Kvadrat show incredible promise.
The organic production on the album is very good. There is just the right amount of rawness. While it still sounds as though it was tracked individually, there is still a heartbeat there. The energy and passion is there within the mix, and it is pleasing that the band has taken this route with the sound. I feel that the new Ulcerate album (Cutting the Throat of God) went a little too far with the clinical sound and full mix, and it felt like it was an album that was eventually made on a computer.
Lyrics are sung in Greek, and the song titles reflect that. Kvadrat will never appeal to the mainstream, however, they should consider incorporating more than an English album title into their repertoire. Doing so would make them more universally appealing to the extreme metal community. The album is very consistent from start to finish, and at 44 minutes, there is enough time for the band to explore dynamics within each song, and develop ideas organically without feeling the need to rush things. The style of Death Metal edges into Black Metal territories as well, and they confirm their interest in this style with the occasional Black Metal screeches, which sound very good.
Kvadrat draw you into a world on The Horrible Dissonance of Oblivion, and there are sections that grabs you, and they do not let your attention wander. There is variation in pace and the vocals are heavy, and bellowing but never overbearing. It is not a vocal heavy album, and Kvadrat do a good job at pushing the other instruments forward when they need to. The guitar riffs can be muscular when they need to be, and melodic when they want to be, everything is executed perfectly and the drumming is textured and powerful.
For fans of Ulcerate and Blut Aus Nord with an appreciation for the weirdness and expansiveness of a band like The Ocean. Overall a very good album and currently worthy of a spot in the Glorious Top Ten.