On a day when it seems a wealth of unbelievably fine music has been released, there is something vaguely triumphant about stumbling over this at exactly the right moment. One of those moments when you are tired of trying to describe albums through accepted genres and terms, one where you just want to make shit up.
Kall were always going to be headstrong given the individuals involved. ‘Brand’ is the sound of them behind closed doors, in a world of their own, where everyone was instructed to take their genres off at the door. The results are spectacular as jazz, prog, black metal and even some type of space-lounge affair explore their way through the minds of Kall. This is creative liberation which can be a dangerous game to play – luckily these guys enjoy the games where you could get hurt.
‘Fukta din Aska’ makes itself at home halfway through the record as it sits down for over seventeen minutes and smokes all your cigarettes, ‘Hide Below’ is a painful experience heard from the room next door; while ‘Fervour’ hangs out the window and scares off the pigeons. There is a vast array of images and depictions here – and, most importantly, they all work.
‘Brand’ is not a record for everyone – which is lucky really – because I very much doubt that Kall made it for anyone other than themselves. Just like the fire to their ashes, Lifelover, music is whatever you call it and whatever you want it to be. And that can change – whenever you want.
8/10