Kardashev - Liminal Rite (2022)

Completely blowing us away with their EP “The Baring of Shadows”, earlier this year, we now have Kardashev’s sophomore full-length release and it is even more grandiose than their EP. Featuring almost one hour of music, this release delivers the perfect balance between aggression, technical proficiency, atmosphere and melancholy, in one very unique and explosive package.

After setting a very mysterious and imposing mood with the spoken words and atmospherics of the opener, “Silvered Shadows” shows the band at its element with a lush mixture of Progressive/Death-core/ and Post-Metal. This amalgamation of styles creates a very sublime and dreamy atmosphere, nicely bleeding into pieces like “Apparitions in Candlelight”, “Lavender Calligraphy”. Which nicely combines a mix of dreamy clean and crushing growls.

One thing that makes the first half of this release more magical is the short interlude tracks that add Post-Rock/Metal passages as transitions between more aggressive pieces. Our favorite track has to be the commanding “Cellar of Ghosts” and its crafty tempo changes, while showcasing the band’s wide emotional range. A close second has to be the more exploratory and expansive “A Vagabond's Lament”, which showcases the more sensitive and dreamy side of the band with some nice proggy undertones.

The release comes to a close with the doomy and gloomy vibes of “Beyond the Passage of Embers”. As a whole, “Liminal Rite” completely propels the band to a whole new level. Their sound is quite unique and very well focused, allowing all their influences and styles to perfectly blend while striking a powerful balance between aggression and dreaminess.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: June 10th, 2022

Genre: Progressive/Atmospheric/Post-Metal

Country: USA