As with many bands these days, this band´s sophomore album widens the band´s musical scope with a dense, atmospheric, and layered record with hidden gems in the cascading musical sweeps.

K L P S, the Swedes formerly known as Kollaps\e, have taken a big step forward with this record. Their debut album was praised (also here: https://veilofsound.com/2023/01/07/KOLLAPS-E-Phantom-Centre.html), and the stakes were high when work on the new songs commenced. But when musicians are visionary and true to what they want to achieve with their musical ideas, the scope of their music will expand and become more sophisticated.

”Subverse” opens the album with a bout of static electricity before the band yanks you towards their Screamo Post-Hardcore the ground for the next 40 minutes. It opens hard and fast with drums, steady bass grooves, and dense guitar lines that spread out the groundwork for the song´s altered course toward Post-Metal. Irate vocals lead the fast, sometimes stomping, music. “Fear as a leader / Sick minded will / Restrained with shackles / Rule by iron fist”. Subsequently, there is a turn and everything simmers down and broadens with only a strumming distorted guitar supported by embracing sound effects until a cymbal glistens, changing the musical scope. It evolves into elongated paces full with Post-Metal. It is heavy with shimmering cymbals and strong, prolonged vocals as the sonic wave spreads out, while, in the corner, another guitar is playing. As the track evolves from Post-Hardcore and Post-Metal, it opens up to an intricate soundscape, fusing many layers and thus emerging as compelling Atmospheric Sludge Metal towards the end of the first track, laying the groundwork for the all that follows.

After the first song fades away on a high-pitched chord, ”Katarsis” starts with fast pulsating sounds before the dense, yet rather translucent music sets in. The drums lead the way steadying below strong guitars providing the theme helped by the softening bass that holds the ground. As the hoarse growling vocals materialize, the music flows with subtle effective changes in the flow, thus forming a kind of distant melody deep in the layers, as the vocals spew: “Like a pure racing fire / Burning red flames strike / Into the sky / Illuminates a / Dystopian landscape /A world of fire and ash / Where hope has lost its shine” (translated from Swedish). Further out in the song, after a breather, a lone distorted riff appears and merges with the other instruments, building a tower of music. But deep in the layers, a higher-pitched guitar flows, giving us a light in the dark heaviness until it all simmers down once more with only a clean, low-pitched guitar - but behold, there’s another, higher pitched guitar in another part of the sonic ballroom. In the end, the instruments condense into an engaging conclusion with hard drums and a near-inaudible tremolo guitar hidden in the layers.

”Tribuilation” is an intriguing song with static elements, vocals upheaving the density of the music, making it restless and impatient, and urging us on towards the next shift. Surprisingly, it comes in the way of a more muted part with drumsticks, cymbals, and a clear electric guitar accompanied by a strumming distorted guitar underpinned by a soft bass, widening the musical room. Then, a dark cloud gathers as a mighty guitar erupts and the surge is like a crescendo: we arrive at more dark sonics driven forward by the rhythm section. Out of the heaviness rises a solo guitar - we are not used to guitar solos in this kind of music, and sometimes they’re misplaced right from their appearance. But not here: as the music tightens the guitar begins to dance carelessly and playfully on the thick woven carpet.

The title of the next song, ”Nattsvart” (which translates to “Pitch Black”), and this is a darkened song with almost impenetrable riffs. But in the fringes lurks a fuzzy guitar sound, uttering chords as the music repeats itself and soon it swallows the more frenzical elements as it surges and throws itself forward with the riffs and full-blown drumming to give energy to the pace, while the bass hammers on.

”Undertow” is introduced by an eerie chord to be overtaken by towering metal music and a powerful hoarse growl. In the bowels of the music, a tremolo guitar is heard, while the song elongates the riffs and the higher-pitched guitar shimmers like a blinking calm sea surface in the steady disorder of the surrounding music with impressive drumming. Leading over to the closer ”Aureola”, fittingly ending this massive album lasting more than eight minutes with music that is surging forward with the emotional rough growls dragging it along. There is a fascinating use of tremolo guitar in this song too; contradicting the heavy riff that emanates from the music. Just when you expect a surging climax, the song pans out and an emerging, yearning tremolo guitar fittingly lifts the sonics until it is swallowed by the surrounding heaviness. The music tightens a bit before it loosens up again widening the sonics as two guitars play slowly against each other with only one guitar slowly fading away as it finishes the album´s last song.

The songs on this album are long, clocking in between 5 and eight minutes. This allows the musicians to develop each track with wonderful feats that contrast each other. It also allows the music to flow broad and wide to exploit the possibilities that are found in the layers of the music. As with all the finest of the genre, you will discover new elements with every spin, hidden musical gems that broaden the experience. Creating such music demands deep knowledge of the genre´s demands and expectations - and adding a hefty dose of passion, thus engaging the listeners on a deeper level. It’s not an exaggeration to say that K L P S has managed this on an extraordinarily high level.