Kevel may, or may not be, named after the large cleat fitted to a ship used for securing ropes. That may not be the most ‘metal’ of band names, or maybe it is, but nobody should question their ability to throw the horns. Kevel hail from Athens, Greece, and play a genre bending dynamic form of progressive metal. Their debut, Hz of the Unheard, was a largely instrumental affair, aside from the odd sample of speech scattered infrequently, but it was notable for showcasing not only Kevel’s brand of progressive sludge metal but also the quality of their musicianship. The release of their sophomore, Mutatis Mutandis, finds Kevel not only broadening their horizons but also heading down some unexpected and exciting new musical paths.
Unlike its predecessor, Mutatis Mutandis is not an instrumental album; instead Kostas Katsaros adds vocals (and synths) to the already impressive guitar duties he shares with new recruit Giannis Papageorgiou. The vocal style is most surprising, Kostas barks in a harsh unintelligible black metal growl, which may not be to all tastes, but adds an ultra-heavy dimension to the music. Opener ‘Of Being’ features pounding drums and guitars that strain at the leash before the whole thing explodes, spewing out death metal style leads and harmonies while the bass and drums pummel the listener into submission. The pummelling is justified though; Kostas focusing his anger on the destructive nature of the human race. During ‘Terraforming’ he rallies against the monopolising and bleeding dry of the planet, growling lyrics such as ‘creation through destruction, progress through assimilation, irrelevance of life’.
The quality of production on Mutatis Mutandis is outstanding; the sound is huge, involving walls of noise and riffs galore, but Kevel also inject enough melody so to not overwhelm the listener. ‘Arecibo’ for instance has a huge riff that plunders everything in its path, straying into thrash metal territory at times; the thunderous guitars and repetitive riffs coupled with the snarled title bring to mind Max Cavalera and early Sepultura. When you think you’ve got Kevel figured out they wrong-foot you again by throwing hypnotic melodies and psychedelic swirling guitars into the mix; mesmerising and reducing the listener to a trance like state, before cranking it back up and beating the listener over the head with thick slabs of riffage. The relatively relaxed intro to ‘Cosmic Domination’ offers some respite, but does feel like the calm before the storm…Undoubtedly it is, as dissonant squealing guitars and colossal drums (Thanasis Politis is on fire throughout) build until all hell breaks loose; the lyrics aptly refer to when ‘chaos unravels’ and this does sound like chaos, but controlled musical chaos.
Kevel have risen to a new level with Mutatis Mutandis, feeling like a natural progression but also a huge leap forward. There may only be six tracks but all are epic in sound, structure and length, none outstay their welcome, taking the listener on a journey through a sonic cosmos. It almost feels strange that an album that is so undeniably heavy can also seem remarkably accessible. There are times when Mutatis Mutandis feels oppressive and relentless, but Kevel know when to ease off and mix things up, generously sprinkling melody over proceedings, but not enough to lose the momentum they’ve created. Kevel like to defy genres; there’s definitely progressive metal and expansive post-metal like Mastodon jamming with Neurosis, but there’s also plenty of melodic black metal reminiscent of bands such as Downfall of Gaia. Kevel have torn up the rulebook with Mutatis Mutandis, blending a myriad of ideas and styles together to create an exceptional piece of work that is immensely enjoyable. Until Mutatis Mutandis can be witnessed live, we will have to revel in Kevel from a distance.
(9/10 James Jackson)
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