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It might be late in the day, but don’t look too fast to the new year - December 2024 is still full of surprises, with bands dropping some heavy hitting releases. Amongst them is KIR, an astonishing pair from Kraków, Poland, composed of Ferment (Guitars, Bass) and Harvest (Vocals), who are accompanied by Krzysztof Klingbein joining as a session drummer. Shortly, you’ll be able to jump into their debut album entitled 'L’appel du vide', which is French for 'the call of the void'. This opus is a 31 minute journey through urban isolation, human frailty, and despair. KIR does not shy away from raw emotion and intense feelings, dragging us in by the collar from the first note.
The opening track 'DestinationVoid' is also the shortest, but acts as a much-needed stepping stone into KIR’s universe. It brilliantly sets the scene in a dream-like fervor, making us wonder what is real or not. This nutshell of the chaos of the human experience is a carefully curated piece, featuring field recordings the band have taken in Kraków’s streets. It is blurred and mixed, almost static-like, guiding us towards a gritty sound and distorted strings.
The ending brings us into 'Monument' seamlessly, stretching time and space. The coherence between end and beginning makes you question where one song starts and the other ends. At least, it does until we're abruptly hit by powerful guitars and Harvest’s erratic vocals. It may be the shortest song after the intro but it carries its name well, being truly monumental. There is no time to breathe, it's heavy and busy from the start with not a second to spare. However, there's no moment to get used to it as changes in tempo keep surprising us with new hypnotising rhythms, constantly switching up our expectations. Masterfully done tremolo riffs stun us in place in a high skill demonstration. This impactful start is, according to the band, “capturing the monotony and futility felt by society’s restless masses”. Harvest injects into this song his own personal experiences from working night shifts in the city life. His guttural notes bring an end to the song with a rawness that is clearly from the core.
Those characteristic heavy screams come back in 'Znów', the Polish for 'again', which sets together a fascinating pair of black and death vocals. As we were kept on our toes by the instrumentation in the previous song, it's now the turn of the vocals to do so in an impressive display of range. The song runs at a devastating pace, with a brutal performance on the drums by Krzysztof Klingbein, throughout a song that feels like stepping into an invocation or ritual, with the chant carrying us to the end. 'Nów', meaning 'new moon' in Polish, reinforces that hauntingly dark atmosphere in a slight play on words. There is no slowing down, even at the end of the track, only a tantalising fade-out that works to transition back into the atmosphere we we found in the intro, albeit with a sense of changing frequencies and loading of the next steps.
'Eter' takes over with melodic, rolling riffs. It carries a different weight, taking elements from doom to pass on this deep rhythm. Strong, heavy drums kick off the vocals like a signal. They burst into long screams, held and reverberating through the back - all of it a metaphor for the echoing streets of a city in lockdown. In the band’s words “the track plays with contrasts: comfort and discomfort, belief and disillusionment, each layer embodying the chaotic tension between belonging and alienation.”
The album has built up and up, each track growing in stature, sound, and even in length as each song is a bit longer than the one before, up until the grand finale that is "Apoptosis". Indulge us as we get into the meaning behind the word. Apoptosis is used in Greek to describe the fall of petals from flowers, or leaves from trees, but is also a form of programmed cell death. The title of the song itself, therefore, carries a beautiful double entendre, a reflection oscillating between natural, poetic and physical endings. It runs with the beat of marching drums. It is a rage-filled lament, calling out listeners and itself. It has not come to terms with its own finality.
KIR brings us a beautifully dark and human form of black metal, unafraid of incorporating elements from other genres or of life itself in an experimental move. “L’appel du vide” holds up a mirror to ourselves and the society we live in. It has an undeniable catharsis, and a raw power that transcends music. If you’re looking to be heard, to find kindred spirits in a universal experience crossing languages and genres, don’t miss this gripping debut LP.
'L'appel du vide' will be released on December 6th by GODZ OV WAR PRODUCTIONS.
Words: Lysandre Pons
Photos: KIR
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