Pulled from the zone girdling the Earth and transmuted into spiritual energies, the three ichor bled from sacrifice and transposed into deeper eye-to-godhede spawned madness beguiles the ear in approach of Zürich, Switzerland-based black metal trio Kvelgeyst who present a second full-length and an elaborate fable told as their latest act in pursuit of transcendence by alchemical means. For album number two we follow them down a differently voiced path, reaching for firmament and watching it crumble in hand. A parable which sets us as the protagonist intent on profound union with the divine, ‘Blut, Milch und Thr​ä​nen‘ energizes its treacherous actors before humbling them with just desserts and in doing so takes the listener on an inventive folken ride through this occult tale of deserved tragedian result.

Kvelgeyst formed circa 2015 in the dungeons of the Helvetic Underground Committee‘s auld west Zürich headquarters between folks involved in Ungfell and Tempel Wolf as they began aiming for the ekstasis of intoxication, channeling alchemic traditions that’d seek mystical union with the “absolute”. Their first visions found the trio concerning themselves with the interconnectedness of all things, the anima mundi, as the first LP resultant (‘Alkahest‘, 2019) presented a folk-punk black-magickal happening, an atmospheric venture of dread and surrealism connected to alchemic ritual and what I’d consider a blend of pagan and atmospheric black metal with an inebriated, deranged sensibility. That album flowed in irregular yet striking motion, surreal per its ghostly multi-vocalizations and sauntering movement as it produced an entrancing whorl of chaotic but not-so difficult to read black metal stride. A fan of Gabestok and/or Hagzissa probably gravitated toward that sound easily per an obscure yet theatric recording with compelling cover art and an energetic first impression.

Two ~twenty minute chapters take us six levels deep, each bearing their own motif and mystic source as our protagonist (an alchemist) gains access to visions of a sacrificial ritual, enacted upon a seer (an adept) which will unlock their path to unio mystica, the soul in concert with their god. As it turns out the hunter is the hunted and we are the sacrifice and commune with god only causes inconsolable madness as the tables are turned on the protagonist. The first chapter (loosely “Brother of snakes, companion of owls”) or Side A details the vision, the coming wisdom, and the plan to take the adept from the gutter into sacrifice. The second chapter (again, loosely translated “Descent to the Chariot Throne”) cues the sacrificial switcheroo, the madness in witness, and the return to the beggarly streets for the adept. The narrative consumes the alchemist within this tale of magickry, untold rituals and the music itself generally follows in each of its six depictions of scene, starting with the revelations witnessed by the alchemist on “Stufe I: Von blitzartiger Wucht in Visionen getaucht”, taking almost tentative steps into the nearly ~10 minute opener before raw and darting guitars and wobbling effects space the theatric first telling. Glowing keys and tension-riddled guitar progressions ensure us that we are listening to a black metal record up front even if it is a unique folken/occult device per the medium. Gang shouts, nauseated riffs, thrashed at movement and a spiraling corner-of-the-ear bass guitar presence give this album a heft and haul which is unique to but not unrelated to that of ‘Alkahest‘ right off the bat.

Each group of three pieces still represents a part of one continuous song and as such the shriek of brakes, the cascading riff progressions and the psychedelic guitar effects reappear on “Stufe II: In der Galgenvögel Gossen” the shortest piece on the full listen and our ominous step down into low town, to the gutter in search of our gifted victim. I’d particularly loved how the bass began to echo the main guitar progression which the two main guitar tracks scattered into variations mid-song as the wail and squeal of the saxophone arrived around ~2:22 minutes into the song. Moments such as these are joyously avant-garde, rolled into without any sort of self-conscious neediness to the point that there is a real energetic flair developing within Kvelgeyst‘s approach evidenced in this particular piece to start. At this point we’ve not gotten the heavier growls found on the first album and instead they have, and generally will stick to what I’d consider a Ved Buens Ende or Lugubrum sort of weirding variation which is read easily enough. As the third piece rolls through the motif is well explored, the melody likely stuck in mind already, and the charm of ‘Blut Milch und Thränen‘ is already beaming within its enthused telling of this tragic, but perhaps deserved, narrative.

Darker yet no less mystic in its glowing synth touched folken kick-through Side B features an arguably more typical black metal scaling riff as its initial anchor, a rattled and punched-up ride allows the devilish character to arrive in this fable as the tables turn. “Stufe IV: Angstrad Gallentrank” likewise brings an energetic momentum to the start of the second half before the dark finale begins with the menacing gloom-shanty start of “Stufe V: Hauptraub durch Klingenhieb” and its kick back into life as the apex of the narrative is reached nearby the end of the song before the sixth part primarily serves atmospheric mania, the madness of the adept’s mystic union before a quiet recession back in to the shadows. The story is well-told, the twist is cleverly set though the energy naturally drops off beyond the start of Side B per my own experience and as such my interest would tend to wane beyond the fourth piece on successive listens.

As was the case with ‘Alkahest‘ most of the appeal of Kvelgeyst‘s music comes with its unconventional cadence, surprising transformations which occur within each piece and in this case two very large pieces allow for a zoomed-in view of their craft and how they’ve expanded their oeuvre/traits into a storytelling device. In this sense ‘Blut Milch und Thränen‘ suffers just slightly from its obscure themes to start but ultimately convinces the invested black metal ear to follow through and take the ride ’til the narrative is revealed. If this is the direction or modus they decide to go with in the future this record I’m into it as this record has proven beyond entertaining. A high recommendation.

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