In this modern world of short attention spans where any Tom, Dick and Harry can sit in their bedrooms and spit out album after album, Kardashev have been quietly plodding away in Arizona USA for around a decade, their sole full-length from 2015 nestled ‘twixt a series of EPs and singles. With a new line-up solidified in 2019, the quartets 2020 EP piqued the interest of a certain Metal Blade Records, who have scooped up the band to release their sophomore.
Labelled “deathgaze” in some quarters, the Kardashev sound seamlessly blends death, black and post-metal with uplifting, introspective elements of shoegaze and ambient. A spoken-word narrative both breaks up (The Blinding Threshold) and bookends the album (opener “The Approaching Of Atonement” and closer “Beyond The Passage Of Embers”), appearing to commentate on the fragility of the human mind. This theme seemingly reaches its crescendo on “Glass Phantoms” with a cry of “give me back my mind!”.
Though difficult to pigeonhole, Kardashev dip loosely into the sonic palettes of other contemporary masters. The immersive soundscapes of Irreversible Mechanism, melodic classicism of Ne Obliviscaris and reflective tech death of Rivers Of Nihil all rear their heads in subtle ways on “Liminal Rite”. Additionally, the vocals occasionally reach the doomy and cavernous depths of Ulcerates most recent offerings, though certainly nowhere near as suffocating.
Though each of the instrumentalists are in outstandingly good form on this album, frontman Mark Garretts’ versatile vocals are arguably the star of the show. He appears comfortably at home regardless of whether he’s belting out Filth-esque rasps, the aforementioned cavernous roars, or the soaring, hauntingly beautiful croon found on barnstorming numbers such as “Apparitions In Candlelight” and “Cellar Of Ghosts”.
The evident discipline of Kardashev is a keystone to the greatness of this album, having patiently honed their craft since 2012 and slowly evolved their sound, whilst would-be peers rushed out sub-par products. “Liminal Rite” is an epic, delightful discovery, a truly absorbing and mature release that I intend to listen to again and again.
(8.5/10 Doogz)
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