Richard HolmesKylver – The Gobi (self-released)
By rights, Kylver should be a more revered name in UK post-metal circles. The Island, their second album, was a towering edifice of heavy, enveloping prog; a record that saw the band build on 2015 debut The Mountain Ghost, to create something as otherworldly as its fantasy concept. Intricate, weighty, spaced-out and sludgy, The Island was a must-visit.
But that was nine years ago.
And we’ve seen little output from the Newcastle act since then, bar The Plague Tapes, a pandemic-born collection on live recordings, which surfaced in 2021. It’s been difficult for them to build momentum, although sporadic shows have been something to savour.
The Gobi, however, should put them right back on the map. The one marked with Arctangent, Desertfest and dare we say it, Roadburn. The landscape inhabited by Bossk, Mogwai, Year Of No Light and all of those bands who cross scenes and make glorious, cinematic noise.
Why?
Because Kylver tap into your dreamstate, painting pictures of far-off lands shrouded in mysticism.
Because of that blend of titanic riffs, technicolour melodies, fearsome low end and psyched-out keys, brought together by intuitive musicianship
And because of the journey they take you on: the deft switches in pace and mood, the build and release of tension, the feeling of endless exploration… it’s one hell of a trip. One minute on The Frozen Sands and you’re not in Kansas anymore.
This isn’t some stoner riff-up or bout of cosmic noodling, however. The four tracks cohere into a sonic current. Kylver may lack a singer, but the band have a distinctive voice, one with a penchant for the dramatic (Spirit of the Hunt being a prime example) and at times, a foreboding tone.
Closer Allghoi – named after the allghoi khorkhoi, a mythical death worm of The Gobi Desert – is the record’s swirling, 13 minute-plus finale, a track originally unveiled on The Plague Tapes. Climaxing in one of the most powerful doom riffs you’ll hear this decade, it’s a fitting end to a majestic album, one that should see Kylver expand their universe… and remind the scene of their formidable prowess.
