I first discovered Klogr when they supported the legendary Prong on tour back in 2014. I was rather impressed with the groove laden approach the band employed in their blend of alternative metal with progressive influences. Over the years I have revisited the releases of theirs which I had picked up at that show (2013’s ‘Till You Turn’ EP and 2014’s ‘Black Snow’ album) and whilst enjoyable, I won’t say that they made a memorable impact as such. They were solid releases but didn’t cement themselves as albums I would keep on my iPod for months or years like other bands or releases. Fast forward ten years and here we are with ‘Fractured Realities’, so let’s see how this Italian four piece holds up now.
The first thing which seems to stand out about this release in terms of the overall sound is how tight it is. The sound reminds me of Greek progressive metal band Poem at times with how there is a well balanced sound with some great pacing but unlike Poem, Klogr have a more alternative metal edge, blending elements of groove and even small flourishes of melodic metal. Take the opening track ‘Early Wounds’ as an example. The chords are big thick slabs of solid distortion, the bass has some real power behind its rumblings and the intricate riffs and accenting octaves and extended voicing on the guitar help give it a bigger sonic profile whilst the vocal work has a good blend of grittiness and expressiveness to it, carrying equal parts of rawness and melody, helping augment the sound beneath it.
‘Gravity of Fear’ has some great bass work in the verse whilst the chorus sections really open up with a massive sound, giving a huge lift and the arrangements and voicing used really work well. There’s some good hooks to the compositions and the way the vocals and instruments work together really hits the spot, especially in the second half of the song which is really strong in its delivery. ‘The Twisted Art’ has some great drum work from the off with its thundering strikes forming the main spine of the verses, helping build momentum for a nice swing into fast paced and frantic feeling sections which follow on before big open chorus sections cap them. ‘Face The Unknown’ has a great alternative metal vibe to it and it’s one of the tracks where the small Nu Metal flourishes show. The wah laden octaves and nimble melodic riff remind me of early 2000’s Mudvayne and even as the track progresses, the “Lost And Found” era Mudvayne flair is present.
‘One of Eight’ has a building feel in its intro which helps ramp up the energy with its relentless rhythmic pounding and crashing drum fills. Slowing down and easing off for the initial stages of the verse, the bass and vocals do most of the heavy lifting with the raw edge and grit working well with the deep rumbling, allowing everything to come back in for a big sounding chorus which has a good impact. With this being the halfway point of the record, a clear picture of how Klogr write their songs is present from a compositional perspective. Simple structuring, extended chord sections, intricate riffs and clever uses of dynamics all show that progressive metal doesn’t need to be virtuoso soloing or extremely long tracks, instead it can be more about how the song is composed and the voicings of the chords used and how it creates a more diverse sonic profile.
‘Lead Wings’ has a similar vibe to ‘One of Eight’ in its riffs but it has a darker feel to it with the real thunderous low end, ominous use of sustained notes and doublestop fills from the guitars. The chorus has a brighter kick to it as it surges forwards, the subtle melodic lines layered in the chord slabs giving it direction and the more energetic vocal offerings leading the way. ‘Unspoken Words’ has a big groove behind it as it opens up and the more uptempo feel gives it a real energy. Slick wah-laden fills work well with the booming bass and drums to segue into a chunky metal chorus and the vocals have an almost rap-like delivery to them as they effortlessly flow. It’s a good track and it caught me by surprise as I wasn’t expecting something like this in the later stages of the album. ‘Hysterical Blindness’ keeps the groove-laden approach up. With the delivery, you can hear slight Prong influences in the rhythm section and the chorus is fucking huge, loaded with a big melodic hook and some solid vocal work.
Wrapping the release up are the final two tracks, ‘Waking World’ and ‘Whale Fall’. ‘Waking World’ has a moody air about it with a darker edge to the sound. The busy, intricate rhythmic chug riff drives the verse on whilst the wah-laden accenting in the transition sections helps open the sound up before a big open chorus allows for some big noise and soaring vocal delivery. ‘Whale Fall’ on the other hand has a dark electronica undercurrent to it, bordering on the pseudo-industrial sound. The dark and moody delivery, droning electronic effects and slow delivery switches up to a big chorus with a simple sing along delivery and big, lingering chords but it’s the transitions from this steady and open sound back down to the murky and dark verse where the track shines. The clever use of timing and phrasing of the music works great to keep you engaged and on the whole, it’s a good closing number to what has been an all-round, good album.
Klogr has done well with this album. The compositional work is enjoyable as there are numerous little nuances and subtleties to discover on each listen, the solid rhythmic work and solid sounding guitar tone combined with the gritty and melodic vocals have plenty of hooks and it’s got a good groove underpinning the majority of the tracks. Whilst it lacks the complexity of other progressive metal albums, it more than makes up for it with the compositional approaches and ease of accessibility in the sound. In all, “Fractured Realities” is a good listen if you like the alternative metal sound with a bit more substance to its lyrics and composition.
(7/10 Fraggle)
Leave a Reply