Kauan "Ice Fleet" (2021)

 Underwhelmed by the soft and withdrawn, forever wandering Kaiho, the Estonian outfit Kauan return again. Having forever earned my interested with Somi Nai, I had to check this out. Its an album that, reflectively, has some charm attributed to the excitement of a fresh sound on these ears. I'm pleased to say Ice Fleet steers in a feistier direction again with its balance of cold, sombre beauty and lengthy swells of aggressive gusto finding an equilibrium to coheres us gently through the ebb and flow as a path is forged. Onward we trek, through the vast scenic wonder of deeply atmospheric, emotional and engrossing music to captivate. They have found their stride again here.

Part Post-Rock or Post-Metal, fostered by airy synths to brood a smooth and welcoming denseness, Kauan lunge into the epic with a touch of Doom Metal pacing with slow and crushing beats. They give momentum to scale on these linear journeys across the vast bewildering wilderness, or possibly oceans as its title and album art suggests a naval inspiration. Tremolo guitars cry out in reverb as the gravitas pulls in a single direction. Slow and simple melodies, often singular, break through the walls of sound as its direction converges on beautiful notations to bring gleams of light to its otherwise un-intuitively baron landscapes.

The record plays as one, growing into its more ambitious metallic beast early on with dramatic symphonic lulls between its eruptions of rugged guitar riffage that misses on Maanpako and does a devilish dance on Raivo when accompanied by howling, lurching screams as it dips into the Black Metal realm. The pull between dark and light is stunning and with its final numbers the music drifts to a calming, Etheral piece with airy, wordless vocals wandering in like a lost spirit. Its quite the contrast from the sailing frenzy in moments past but that is much of the magic of this record, how it holds opposing forces in a special place. The pacing is just right, everything broods and crawls to conclusion, holding us in its cold temporal majesty.

Rating: 8/10

Kauan "Kaiho" (2017)

Their former release, Sorni Nai, was a riveting listen, an emotional journey of stunning peaks and swerving valleys born from a wealth of inspiration based around the mythic Dyatlov Pass incident. The record is a complete entity that blossoms into a cinematic soundscape, leaving a resounding impression on me that is still unwavering. The Russian five piece are back with their seventh and first self published record, "Kaiho" which has unfortunately disappointed to no fault of their own.

Listening back through their discography the band always had a unique, soft and sombre tone, slightly cultural but distinct and melodically persuasive. Over the years the Doom Metal tropes of snarly, guttural vocals and slow, sluggish distortion guitars, heard on Lumikuuro, gave way to the lighter, artistic, richer sounds of Post-Metal which heavily complimented their melodic side. Its wasn't uncommon for these tropes to subside entirely, in fact the majority of their music has mostly been made up of the "clean" passageways which this album naturally embraces with a move away from its Metal roots.

"Kaiho" is the heart of their melancholy put out to bear. Long drawn out movements of sorrowful strings and soft airy synths paint the glorious, yet gloomy atmosphere for vulnerable singing and delicate melodies to play out. Its pace is temperate, treading on ice as every song drops with the softness of snowfall in a setting of pure ease for the listener. Everything is calm, soothing and gloriously relaxing with plenty of room for introspection and reflection as this serene sombre takes hold.

For all its slow and delicate, beautiful composition, every song is meandering, wandering without direction. The lack of urgency or event steadily drains it dry as the album draws onward without a sense of meaning or story, little feels unfolding or even heading anywhere and so the subtlety and softness fades from focus and each song feels like a point without destination. Only "Kasvot" musters a sense of something grand ironically from shimmering Post-Metal guitars resonating with the airy synths. Its a rare moment for the record as most the guitars are slowly plucked acoustics, any distortion found is heavily buried under already gentle instrumentation. Aesthetics, mood and tone are spot on here but the lack of event or direction, change in pace or upturn in mood has this record seeping out of focus, leaving each song feeling like the last.

Rating: 6/10

Kauan "Lumikuuro" (2007)

Following up on the spectacular "Sorni Nai", an album which really blew me away, I find myself at the Estonian bands roots, their debut dropped eight years earlier. It caught my attention for possibly the wrong reasons, a song "Savu" containing a slower tempo moment of Dimmu Borgir's classic "Relinquishment Of Spirit And Flesh", a near carbon copy pulled of in a different context. Not accusing the band of anything, it simply caught my attention and sucked me into what is a light, easy and enjoyable record with a unique chemistry between the dark and light elements of its design.

The experience is defined by a distance between its lush melodious bells, graciously dancing over soothing strings and the dark, narrow, dense distortion guitars that chop and churn under snarly, grim screams. Some acoustic guitars and softer electric leads bridge the gaps with harmonious folk singing but its the disparity that creates an unusual chemistry where the bells and strings guide us through ethereal like, atmospheric moods as the linear distortion guitars chisel and drone away in the distance. Its moody and the slow tempo influences of Doom Metal can be felt throughout. The writing can be both graceful, sudden and blunt as instruments interchange focus around one another and it is often where the guitar takes lead that the magic can be dispelled.

For eight years and five records, "Lumikuuro" isn't to far behind "Sorni Nai" in terms of identity and aesthetic. Some of the bands defining characteristics are here and even a few comparable moments. Its overall direction feels a little murky when chunky, groove oriented riffing crops into an otherwise atmospheric experience where the guitars are a distant fuzz. The record can also swiftly shift from one moment to the next and it isn't always pulled of with the agility they would later find. I'm fond of this record, its flawed and rather unusual in its own identifiable way.

Favorite Song: Savu,

Rating: 6/10

Kauan "Sorni Nai" (2015)

Browsing the catalogs of record label Blood Music, which I found through Dan Terminus, I could not miss the praise that was being lavished onto this record. Having fallen in love with it, I can firmly say its justified and possibly the best record I'll hear this year. Doing a little research on the record today I have learned its based on the Dyatlov Pass incident, an unsolved, mysterious death for a group of seasoned snow hikers who lost their lives in Soviet Russia 1959 during the hike. Learning of the records inspiration has added a new sense of clarity to the events and moods the record drifts through. I could always hear its voice, but now I know of the tale it cry's. Unsurprisingly the band are Russian, however the bands name is Finnish for "A Long Time". It's their sixth full length and the bands maturity shines bright on this stunningly crafted piece of music.

Sorni Nai is a serene and lush journey to experience as these pale soundscapes calmly sway through inspired leads and indulging atmospheres of the beautiful cold. With the pace of Doom Metal and atmosphere of Post-Rock the record finds a blissful balance in slow suspended states for gorgeous musical moments to erupt and blossom from. Dense guitar tones meld and fade under sensuous choral synths the paint the winds with pale colors for melodies to dance through. The record can smoothly shift between its lighter moments and Black Metal inspired darkness with snarly, contained screams and ripening of distortion guitars when the times call for it. Every moment this record experiences us with is a continuation of the previous moment, even the tracks seamlessly transition, barely noticeable as another natural shift occurs, changing and turning through its deep inspiration.

And now for my favorite moment in the record. In "At" we hear the cries of a native spoken woman, her words carry much emotion under a beautiful piano melody and I now believe she represents the female hiker on the expedition. This slightly tragic moment leads us into the records dark and evil moment which now I know represents the unknown death these souls faced in freezing cold temperatures. The swaying hums and acoustic guitar fades into black as a crunching guitar penetrates the silence with its unwelcome presence, striking out with force. Hellish synths eerily descend with a menacing tone and before you know it the most theatrical moment paces into a melodic, unsettling limbo.

Its a brilliant moment that is also one of the most indifferent in what the album offers, but it summarizes the genius at work throughout. Its stunning, rich in atmosphere and littered with magic as we drift through the snowy, frozen mountains of mother Russia. Its inspiration could be felt through the music alone and I love it even more now I know the tale behind this brilliant record I have been enjoying continuously for weeks. Its hard to call a 10. It takes time, but I feel with age ill grow to love it more and more.

Favorite Track: Khot

Rating: 9.5/10