Review: Kaevum – Kultur

Review by Justin Joseph

Kaevum – Kultur

Record Label: Darker than Black Records

Year: 2023

Rating: 9/10

There lies an intimate quality in the act of forging something by your own hands, the very action of caressing your naked palms against the materials, shaping it to your desired image, like the one who toils beneath the sweltering sun, tilling the land, sowing the seeds into the fertile soil, knowing that the fruit which is birthed was because of the hands that set it beneath the earth, the hands that tended to it. I believe, no matter how minuscule the task is, or even the imperfections that may adorn such work, the magick of being your sole creator offers an ineffable sensation.

However, if the essence of having the soil of the earth upon your hand mixed with the brine of the flesh, to feel the tangibility of your efforts towards that which is manifested, if this moment of intimacy can be bottled and savored, it would be found in “Kultur” an album carved from the most natural aspects by Kaevum. For the sound which resonates upon this offering can be likened to the very sound of the earth, the transmission of noises that are found betwixt the land which is impregnated and winds that sings forth its melodies.

At its nucleus, “Kultur” is a traditional Black Metal entity, which is void of any glossiness and frills to adorn its shape, for what is presented here is robust and organic, wherein the true beauty is exemplified in its willingness to show forth the aura in an unbridled state, unrestrained by any frivolous components. In other words, the minimalistic manner that is used, the raw- energy expelled through the strings and percussions, where intricacy matters not, here, forms the crux of “Kultur”.

Kaevum

“Gold mit uns” and “Goyimblood” are tracks evident to the album’s atmosphere whereby the construction of the instrumental motions forms a condensed listening experience, as though the music itself is alive and flows through you…around you, but this quality which graces the album is simply not due to the raw-like aesthetic which drapes the body of “Kultur”. Instead, the very atmosphere reaped from the soil of this album lends a nature-like touch to the sounds, as though the notes were plucked from the very dirt, untouched, unprocessed, and tainted not by the need to be boisterous in its expulsion.

The pinnacle, however, can be discovered through the vocals, the track, “Pan: D.G.I.N”, which in my opinion, represents a culmination of everything grand with this album, for the vocals take a more dominant approach here, whereby, “Kultur”, from a certain perspective can be considered a more vocal-driven piece. The ambience commanded through the voice gives forth the illusion through the voice of nature, the very nature that would ravage a field in its power and lay waste to everything that stands…the very energy feels as though it is conversing with the instrumental sounds. The screams, howls, and even the chants exude a primal tone to the register, at times, giving forth an ancient resonance.

“Kultur” can be looked at as the very link between the mind and art which yearns for a realm that feels untouched and undefiled in its soil, for it is a work that allows you to place the soul into the very earth, to feel its essence, like that of a body which places the feet into the dirt, becoming one with the surroundings. So to you, the listener, lower your consciousness into this realm, and reap the sounds that are sown through its feral spirit.