We lose bands all the time for any number of reasons. Sometimes they just run their course, and the creative spark that once was there no longer exists. Still sad we only got one Khôrada album. Other times the members no longer can function, or tastes get altered, or the passion subsides, or nefarious things pull them apart, destroying what once was a project that held so much potential.

The dissolution of False happened so abruptly, at least for us on the listener side of things, and what was one of the most exciting, viscerally sudden bands in all of black metal no longer existed. Three years later, two of that band’s members Travis Minnick (guitars, bass, vocals, synth, drum programming) and Kishel (keyboards, vocals) have rejoined forces in Kaldeket, whose first two EPs are combined into a full-length compilation “Vitiate // Déraciné.” The traces of False’s bones are here for sure, but this is an altogether different force. Things are stranger, the synth more progressive and alien, and the rampaging force is both enthralling and gutting, making for a record that’s as impactful as a sonic blast as it is a psychological one that pushes you to your limits. This is a very exciting collection that hints at a volcanic future musically where these two can explore their ideas as far into the darkness as they care to go.  

“Dissolute Intentions” rips open as melodic, wild howls storm, guitars take on a tornadic approach, and the keys shimmer and slightly disorient. The upheaval continues and rushes as the leads take on a dramatic sweep, letting the intensity increase and add to the pressure, the vocals wrenching as the keys zap into space as everything ends in a pulsing haze. “448c” starts with keys plinking, the playing rousing, and the shrieks rippling as the fantastical elements explode. Energy ripples as everything goes harder and edgier, letting the blood blast through your veins, setting everything to crush as speed and drama explode at the end. “Arrogant Function” runs 8:19 and brings rousing riffs and synth clouds, the pace pushing you to your limits early. The synth takes on a regal sheen as the guitars break through, mashing and jolting as it feels like the energy is forming into a tidal wave. Things chill for a brief moment before the playing gets destructive again, mashing into madness and strange sci-fi synth, bashing without mercy.

“Misshapen” is the longest track, going a healthy 8:31 and unleashing a melodic surge that ends with blistering punishment. Black metal majesty rears its ugly head, leaving ample bruising before we head into cooler waters that help soothe accumulating wounds. That doesn’t last long as the force explodes again, fiery shrieks spit fire, and the urgency increases amid icy keys and a frosty assault that leaves you shivering. “Fatuous & Pitiless” starts on the cusp of great wonders, gushing and punching, setting up power bursts that cause energy to storm through your nervous system. Things get faster and more delirious, breathing ferocious, yet magical fire that tears through the earth. Closer “Grotesque Artifact” is an alluring beast when it arrives, melodies flash with power, and the shrieks reach into your brain and scuff up your psyche. The playing tangles and retches, the synth bubbles as if in lab beakers, and then the rampaging terror strengthens its grip, squeezing every sign of life from your body.

We happily welcome back these two former False members on this promising compilation “Vitiate // Déraciné” that should excite any fans of their former band and anyone who dines hungrily on black metal that stretches the imagination. Kaldeket is a force that’s just getting off the ground, and having their two initial EPs wrapped into this package is a great way to have these blistering tracks in one place and also bask in the carnage this force is capable of producing. The future is exciting and wide open for this band, and their new adventure under this banner is something that gives us morbid hope that the years ahead might be survivable after all.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/kaldeket/

To buy the album, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/collections/pre-orders/products/kaldeket-vitiate-deracine-lp

Or here: https://bigbovine.bandcamp.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://gileadmedia.net/

And here: https://twitter.com/big_bovine