An exploration of the death of God in the future frothing minds of all men in three voluminous acts this latest EP from Sydney, Australia-based black metal project Krvna does well to contain but never hinder the overflowing thought process of the artist who has been on a notably bloody tear these last three or so years. With ‘The Rhythmus of Death Eternal‘ we stare into the zombified sockets of the godhede and trace the gloria of the artist’s melodious intent, just as dramatic and full-fledged as each full-length prior yet deeply focused within the trace of these three arrows shot. The effect of the full listen here is guaranteed to illuminate the senses of the thus-far ignorant, introducing the grandiose feats of the artist alongside some key points of inspiration given due and it should just as well reinforce the command of the ‘ready indoctrinated, still living up to a high standard for melodic black metal.

Krvna formed circa 2021 as the prime solo project from Krvna Vatra Smrt a fairly unknown artist under this name beyond featuring as the drummer for IV‘s Dearthe since 2020 and more recently having joined the brilliant Pestilential Shadows as an additional guitarist in 2022. This is already an imposing resume before we consider his solo work and moreso because of a high proficiency in multiple instruments displayed, performances which arrived by way of what seems to be a clear education in the broader skies and fevered minds of 90’s black metal. Granted the bar is set low as possible in this respect anymore, sure, but from their first demo recordings (‘Long Forgotten Relic‘, 2021) standards for musicianship, performative vision, and render were merely high and not the usual faux nostalgic result. From there you’ll have to excuse my use of the term “epic” here as there isn’t a more fair tag given to the billowing nature of ‘Sempinfernus‘ (2021), a debut full-length LP marked by exaggerations of Scandinavian classicist melodic forms and some manner of Slavic vampyric high fantasy lore. Much as I try to avoid suggesting confidence in what is more often than not an underthought premise or performance, that debut’d felt like a grand entrance and introduction in a style that’d doubled down on its dramatic melodicism and hymnal affect on album number two (‘For Thine is the Kingdom of the Flesh‘, 2022). None would blame you for having overlooked that second record considering its mid-December release but it is, in my opinion, mandatory that you give it a listen before approaching this EP not only for the sake of understanding why the artist viewed that second album as a defining statement for Krvna but also in order to understand the high expectations for what comes next.

The dedicated fandom gifted with observational insight already has one brow downturned, eyeing an early year EP figuring it is a either ‘leftovers’ from Krvna‘s last LP sessions or a potential preamble (interstitial scraps, chaff) between major releases. Though neither prospect should be discouraging at this point… I can at least slap the first thought out of mind in part, the three original pieces here are arguably even more classics-minded in their development of a melodic black metal idyll and this means fewer direct outbursts into hymnal Bathory-isms and an intense focus on riffcraft in solid eight minute vignettes. I only draw this line up front because their cover of Bathory‘s “Man of Iron” serves as a reminder, or, at least more of a reprise of certain traits that’d made ‘For Thine is the Kingdom of Flesh‘ bigger than their debut. Otherwise what strikes me most about this release is in fact the guitar work and there can be no better test in this realm than setting three ‘epic’ tremolo-slabbed pieces next to a perfectly concise and dramatic cover from Abigor‘s triumphal ‘Nachthymnen (From the Twilight Kingdom)‘ wherein the inclusion of “As Astral Images Darken Reality” brings into neatest focus yet the core valuation of Krvna and their attempts to push these high standards into their own realm.

Death, god and the typhon-fingered hand. — With these built-in reference points in mind the tone of opener “Endless Monument” feels appropriately dramatic without becoming belabored, rushing into its tornadic force just past its minute mark as the first melodic phrase develops its mostly complete thought. This is eventually made consonant in building those initial verses and though this is already masterfully done what makes this first piece exceptional is that the composer continues to add to the conversation within each refrain, ultimately splitting two core dramatic phrases until they nearly interlock. Nothing any more sophisticated than the pre-1996 Swedish melodic black/death standard of old but a thrilling enough point of focus that Krvna‘s guitar work alone will hook into a specific ear for black metal adjacent melody quickly. The conversation continues deep into the thrum of “A God’s Work”, the purgatorial pool of the full listen which finds its relief in its final third after reprising the general voicing of the leads found on the opener. “What Great Lengths” isn’t necessarily the clincher, or, the song that’d made the experience whole but it’d been the most involved piece per my own observation of the two major rhythm guitar threads and its constantly escalating runs which, again, aren’t massively inventive so much as they are effectively rousing in direction and scope much in the way late 90’s Dawn patiently developed its own sprawling movement.

The main endorsement to offer here is directed largely at folks who’re yet to discover Krvna‘s work. This EP offers an immediately impressive plunge into the artist’s vision which isn’t too demanding for its ~26 minute set of originals and their muse upon the forces of death while the remainder of their work (the Abigor and Bathory covers) are not only inspired but help to reveal some of what the artist had accomplished on their 2021 and 2022 released full-lengths otherwise. More directly, this is the best possible introduction to the artist at present and a substantial enough release for existing fans who’re interested in the more melodious features of his work. A high recommendation. [80/100]

---