Kildonan calls on the past.
Created by English musician Hamish MacKintosh (vocals/bass/drums, Ageless Summoning, Belliceste, Sluagh, Úir, Vostok…), accompanied by Krigeist (guitar, Anchoret, Barshasketh, Bròn…), the project is signed to Caligari Records, with whom they release Embers, their debut album.
The album opens with Embers, an eponymous composition that begins with a dissonant approach populated by cries of distress and mystical vocal parts, immediately creating a strong contrast between its different elements. The obvious darkness sweeps us along in its tumultuous flow, crossing the landscape to the rhythm of its strikes to join Ioliar-Bhuidhe, an equally tortured track where howls of despair accompany even foggier riffs. Unhealthy harmonics are obviously the order of the day in this surge of disturbing melodies, but a few clear vocal parts appear towards the end of the track before giving way to A Desperate Leap for Salvation, which once again surrounds us with its haunting riffs. The introduction goes up in smoke, leaving the rhythm to suddenly ignite and adopt more lively tones, tossing us into this ocean of hypnotic suffering where the voices intermingle, naturally joining Tobar Mheasain. The track gets off to a slow start, letting its leads evaporate before vocals come into play, remaining plaintive at first, then moving into a strange, disturbing voice, almost falsetto at times, creating an unease quite different from the other tracks. Garden of Forking Pathways follows with a mixture of slow oppression and surprising bursts of aggression that gradually manifest themselves, like the finale that overwhelms and shatters us, giving way to To Gaze Upon the Infinite, which starts without delay and naturally buries us in its darkness, barely giving us a chance to breathe during the slowest moments, constantly weaving the abyssal cocoon in which it encloses us until the last note.
Although Kildonan is a new project, its masterminds are already well-versed in the dark arts. Embers explores every facet of Black Metal, from the most plaintive and painful to the most violent and massive, making this album a truly unhealthy but captivating source.
90/100