Band:	Mephorash
Album:	Krystl​-​Ah
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	November 2023

01. Krystl-Ah
02. Gnosis
03. Catoptrophilia
04. Soma Yoni
05. Chysallís
06. I Am
07. Mephoriam

Starting as a fairly straightforward Swedish black metal band, Mephorash have come a long way since their debut album, Death Awakens, back in 2011. 1557-Rites Of Nullification marked a willingness to explore more interesting aesthetics, deeper meanings, and more mysterious soundscapes, but the big shift came with Shem Ha Mephorash, an album that was massive, both in scope and runtime. Krystl-Ah is the apotheosis of this exploration.

Krystl-Ah is a pretty original piece of music, but if I have to make some sort of comparison, I’d say that it sounds like a collaboration of Schammasch and Cult Of Fire with Wolvennest. Each full listen demands 67 minutes of your time, yet each minute is entirely worth it. The album is a doom-laden dive into a world of occultness, with an atmosphere of mysticism that is ever present and fully enveloping. It is impossible not be carried away by its multiple sonic layers, the choir of fallen angels, the wailing lead guitars, the ritualistic aura, the psychedelic and distantly Pink Floyd-esque feel, and the general mood of the album that feels both ominous and beautiful at the same time.

The way the songs bleed into each other is the epitome of artfulness; a prime example of this is how “Gnosis” flows into “Catoptrophilia”, which is one of the most memorable moments that metal music has offered in 2023. The parts of Krystl-Ah are so well-connected that it can easily give the impression of one long track. The album has a hypnotic and mesmerising effect, not only due to the nature of the music itself, but also because the band lets each musical idea play out, without hurrying to change it, and without altering the pace and the rhythm for no purpose. Every passage links to the next through a process of unrushed and thoughtful progression. It is an almost dark erotic experience to listen to it, which is why the pleasure moans on “Soma Yoni” sound so right. There is no standout track here, as the whole album is extraordinary and demands to be played in its entirety every single time, but “I Am” is the most dynamic presentation of Mephorash’s current incarnation. That said, the almost 17-minute closer, “Mephoriam”, is probably the band’s most compelling work to date, with incredible build-ups, rich layers of instrumentation, and powerful performances. Its contemplative valleys and apocalyptic eruptions are being played and replayed throughout the song, becoming more and more impactful as it progresses. The end is both cathartic and fulfilling; a climactic conclusion to a unique experience.

Mephorash were on to something remarkable with Shem Ha Mephorash, and their Covid-19 live performance only further established what the quality of that album alluded to. Krystl-Ah is majestic and grandiose, a meditative ceremony of out-of-the-box black metal brilliance. It is phenomenally absorbing and immersive, and a product of grand inspiration and pioneering creativity.

“By darkened sky I dive into
Abrasive black starlight
A moonlit dark and hitherto
A trifold sky”