The debut Krisiun album ‘Black Force Domain’ maybe a classic but it can be hard to listen to for some people as it’s a consistently blast beats filled album. I will defend the album though as it’s one of my favorites by the band. However, the album ‘Apocalyptic Revelation’ is a far more defined working of their overall sound by then. Regardless of personal preference. It’s a lot more varied, tighter and spearheads the band’s already chaotic music into a more meaty and thick sound.
Tracing a lot of the band’s influences is a lot easier here too as it’s less messy structurally speaking. It’s more digestible in terms of enjoyment and creative in the goals they set out to achieve. Well songs like ‘Aborticide (In the Crypts of Holiness)’, and ‘Kings of Killing’ are clearly taken from the schematics laid down by bands such as Slayer, Morbid Angel, Dark Angel and Possessed with the chromatic note placements in both solos and riffs but the album gets a lot more dynamic than that. The blast sections are used more sparingly here and it works a lot more in their favor. Songs often have more groovy and galloping sections ala Deicide’s more slower paced tunes and parts but the tempo in Krisiun’s case it’s still constantly blasting and in your face with the presentation and overall pacing of the album.
Even when the album is doing its casual thing by mainly taking Slayer and old Morbid Angel techniques and making songs based around that but with a higher emphasis on fast paced tempos it will on occasion throw in the curveball. One of the best examples of this is ‘March of the Black Hordes’ their most rapid and blistering song to date that isn’t quite the fastest song on the album but is just as effective as the rest. Not only is the song based around essentially one rhythm but happens to toy with that aspect of the song and alter it in different ways through their performance. Adding harmonies and playing the main riff in different scales and at one point inserting violin to make the melody sound sorrowful while keeping the acrimony of the album’s and especially song’s overall.
Even when the songs are simple they are surprisingly impressive. Even ignoring the ridiculously impossible to play solos that are engaging as all hell. The drumming helps the album in this as with most Krisiun albums. Done by one Max Kolesne. Obviously as stated before, Krisiun’s main goal has always been the speed of their music. Yet Max somehow challenges Pete Sandoval at his own game by managing to up the level of stamina on his part while making himself just as versatile. Even with Pete’s ability the grooves laid down by him are very much like another influence on him being Steve Asheim. This is heard more throughout the less than blazing fast parts on this album that makes the album quite engaging from the fan’s level.
While Krisiun’s debut ‘Black Force Domain’ is still an incredible debut outing by any band, ‘Apocalyptic Revelation’ ended up cementing them in Death Metal history. Personally, I don’t believe that Krisiun would be as important as they are if they disbanded after the first album. People who are reading this may already know or own this album by them, if not Hell’s Headbangers reissued everything they’ve done up to ‘Ageless Venomless’ on some pretty neat digibooks which are still available for purchase on their site. Krisiun are a powerhouse but their legacy starts here if anything.
