Kalpa - A Grand Misconception 12"
KALPA take no prisoners on the ear shredding 'A Grand Misconception', eight tracks that start as they mean to go on, blasting metallic hardcore with an almost mathematical edge in places. It's like the first time you heard Converge but at a heavier pitch, less shrieking but more direct hoarse roars in the vocals.
The music shifts gears rapidly, tearing between ripping blasts, furiously downpicked chugs, mad tapping and ringing chords. This is a band aggressively in sync with themselves, every track feels incredibly polished and rehearsed, the recording and production are impeccable, KALPA sound huge.
The Athens five piece feel like they are putting 100% of themselves into this sound, each track has so many intricate nuances among the chaos, from the way they flick between riffs to individual slight variations in picking pattern or drum beat in the section itself.
The band is intensely anti-fascist and draws heavily on this in their lyrics and songwriting, these guys are clearly not comfortable in modern society and they don't want you to be either.
"A Grand Misconception" will leave listeners furious and frantic. This will definitely be a band to catch live if this release captures even one tenth of the energy they put out in concert.
An incredibly crushing release that while not challenging the ears of those that know the genre will bring those same ears delight with the sheer professionalism and skill on display in both performance and song writing.
Drawing together too many influences to list in a sentence they forge their own sound while referencing the strongest moments of those that came before. Unpretentious and uncompromising, deserving of a place in any metallic hardcore fan's collection.
Limited edition doom black vinyl, heavy 380g cover, insert with lyrics and liner notes.