If 'Neoheresy' was the beginning of a new era for Hellveto, this album might be an attempt to recapture some of the older material's flair. 'Kry', the thirteenth full-length by Poland's greatest musical export, is something of a throwback album; while the previous two heavily emphasized a more metallic sound, 'Kry' seems to recapture much of the folk of Hellveto's earliest works. This is not to say it's less aggressive- blast beats and tremolo riffs abound- but compared to albums like 'Od Południa Na Północ...', one might think Hellveto was scaling the intensity back a bit.
Identifying the differences between Hellveto albums is a pretty subtle art that only dedicated fans are going to be able to manage, but 'Kry' does definitely represent a departure from the style opened by 'Neoheresy'. In the production, the metallic instruments have once again been dropped back a notch in favor of the orchestral effects and a more intense drum sound. The pitch-shifted vocals which defined the previous full-length are still present, but not as omnipresent as on that one, and in general the feel of this album is much more similar to the first third of Hellveto's career than his most recent work.
That being said, the technical and compositional creativity which has come to define Hellveto has not been reduced at all. 'Kry''s music, while less intense, is no less complex than the latest albums, and in some ways may be even more interesting from a technical performance. It appears that L.O.N.'s drumming has been emphasized on this record, and many of the rhythms, such as on 'Glód' appear to have been composed with a bit more care than usual. Of course, noticing this amidst the lush orchestration might be difficult at times; like most Hellveto work, 'Kry' pulls the listener in multiple directions and demands more than one listen to be fully appreciated.
In addition to this, the peaks and valleys of intensity on this record feel much more defined than before; while Hellveto is a dynamic project, many of the tracks tend to operate at around the same level most of the time. Not with 'Kry'; every track seems to have moments that are nearly placid versus others of fiery intensity. Tempo and rhythm changes abound, making this one of the most dynamic Hellveto releases since 'Visions From The Past' from years before. Some may be disappointed that this is not a blazing monster of an album like its immediate predecessor, but I like the way L.O.N. is mixing it up and keeping the listener guessing.
As usual, this is a must-by for Hellveto fans and less essential for others. I couldn't recommend this as a starting album for someone looking to get into the project; 'Neoheresy' would be a better bet as its delivery is a bit more straightforward. Nonetheless, L.O.N. has once again composed a brilliant release with 'Kry' and continues to expand on one of the most underappreciated projects in metal today.
Sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP_FJ3ABMhU
Official promo video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyTYa_kyqxQ
