I’m not sure why The Great Old Ones continue to be lumped in with the post-black metal scene. Their general reliance on space-y tremolo riffs made sense of the post-black tag up through 2017’s EOD, but 2019’s Cosmicism felt so viscerally progressive as to displace the band from any notable acts under that particular genre umbrella. And yeah, sub-subgenre tags are thin by their very nature, but with the release of Kadath, the notion that The Great Old Ones remain “post” anything feels downright silly. The en-beefening of the band’s sound on Cosmicism grows more pronounced with Kadath; a riffier, more technically immediate record, and as large of an evolutionary step as one might expect following a lengthy gestation. As for whether Kadath’s heavier approach was worth the weight, the answer is as complicated as The Great Old Ones’ sound.

That sound’s intricately textured density remains, for me, one of the main selling points of The Great Old Ones. As with prior works, Kadath is a record informed by its atmosphere, that otherworldly feeling that the layers of reverb-drenched guitars obscure endless depths. That this aesthetic stays largely intact despite Kadath’s riff-forward nature is impressive. Opener “Me, the Dreamer” serves as a microcosm of this balance, its unpredictable shifts conjuring a sense of unease as the band explores territory seemingly inspired equally by Immortal and Blood Incantation. Kadath’s breadth of variety is markedly wider than any prior The Great Old Ones album, as tactful implementation of death metal heft and even gothic rock (See: “In the Mouth of Madness”) regularly serve a purpose. This makes Kadath a potentially ideal jumping off point for anyone new to the band who might otherwise be turned away by their post-black reputation.

As impressive as this evolution sounds on paper, Kadath’s bid at a more immediately gratifying take on The Great Old Ones sound leaves me feeling partially dissatisfied. I’ve enjoyed every moment I’ve spent with this record, but I rarely found myself hypnotically sinking into its atmosphere as I did with EOD and especially Cosmicism. Its regular tonal and structural songwriting pivots are superficially fun, yet often illogical in the scope of a full composition. The fifteen-minute “Leng,” while frequently beautiful, fails to link up its disparate sections in a fulfilling fashion. Conversely, at other times The Great Old Ones seem to consciously play things safe, relying on more straightforward (yet still lengthy) structures that lack rhythmic bite or a compelling atmosphere (“Astral Void (End of the Dream)”). It’s all good, but most of Kadath is merely just good, and I can’t help but wonder whether the shift in the majority of the band’s lineup is partially to blame.

The lineup shift is acutely felt behind the drum kit, as I detected the departure of Léo Isnard – one of my favorite drummers in black metal – in Kadath’s music even before reading the details on The Great Old Ones’ new lineup. It should be emphasized that new drummer Julian Deana is responsible for some of the album’s best passages; the power metal-like double bass drives in “Under the Sign of Koth,” for instance, help make that track one of Kadath’s best. Yet where the drum performances seemed to proactively shape the music on past releases, Kadath’s drumming feels more reactive and less adventurous. Deana’s performances are flawless and completely impressive on a technical level, but this seemingly unintentional shift in rhythmic philosophy has, for me, altered the shape of the band’s music. Kadath also sounds muddier from a production standpoint than its predecessor, and while some level of obscurity is crucial to The Great Old Ones’ atmosphere, this record’s many low-end riffs often blur together as a result.

I realize this review feels largely negative considering my insistence on Kadath’s goodness, but I’ve twice written about the reasons why I love The Great Old Ones’ music, and most of those reasons remain intact with this record. Kadath merely fails to live up to my personal expectations of what I’ve come to expect from this band, and as such, its shortcomings feel all the more glaring. Make no mistake: Kadath is a frequently captivating marriage of black metal riff craft and distinct artistic intent that could only come from The Great Old Ones. I’m not in love with all of its choices, but I’d rather this band present me with an ambitious pivot such as this over a hypothetical Cosmicism II.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: thegreatoldonessom.bandcamp.com | thegreatoldonesband.com | facebook.com/thegreatoldones
Releases Worldwide: January 24th, 2025

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