There is a centuries-old Japanese art of fixing broken pottery in which, rather than rejoining ceramic pieces with some sort of adhesive, a special tree sap lacquer dusted with powdered gold is used to attach the broken pieces together; resulting in beautiful seams of gold glint in the conspicuous cracks, this gives the ceramic wares a one-of-a-kind appearance. This technique is called ”kintsugi” or ”kintsukuroi” and there is something rather poetic in it, by way of celebrating the fractures instead of hiding them. As it turns out, there is also an Italian post-black-metal duo by the same name, KINTSUKUROI, whose first incarnation, under the name, SOLITUDE PROJECT, released various EPs from its conception in 2010 right until its death and resurrection in 2020 under this new name. Released on October 30th, 2023, via the Chinese cult label Pest Productions, “About Emotions” is the first actual full-length by this duo, showcasing a new chapter in their sonic evolution from raw and obscure ambient, depressive black metal to a new, melodic and melancholic black metal of the post-black variety. This debut features eight tracks composed over a decade as well as myriad guests. So, without further ado, let us sink into the black sea of sorrow, heartbreak, and pale, urban alienation.
Opening the album, “Ghosting” kicks off with a clean guitar arpeggio that instantly triggers haunting flashbacks of SONIC YOUTH‘s 1995 epic “Diamond Sea.” What sets these Italians apart, obviously, is the use of double-kick drums and harsh, black-metal vocals that are introduced right after the intro. Furthermore, the alienation of the disenfranchised slacker generation is replaced rather poignantly with a penetrating feeling of heartbreak. Unsurprisingly, these Italian black-metal ruffians have a knack for pulling on your heartstrings. Somehow, I get the feeling that KINTSUKUROI could be a distant cousin to the melancholy doom of, say, NOVEMBRE, albeit the aesthetic is significantly darker and rawer. What these two bands have in common is the sense of melodrama that, I guess, Italians absorb in mother’s milk from eons of the past.
The title track gears up on the black-metal aesthetic with blast beats and all. Halfway into the song, the relentless blasting gives way to a post-rockish plateau of clean arpeggios and melancholic tremolo motifs only to build up new momentum. The spoken voice-over in Italian adds a particularly nice and epic touch. A somewhat similar template is applied to the following track, “Calling of Razors,” too, albeit the clean guitars are replaced with a melancholy piano and additional vocals courtesy of Francesca Dorio.
Perhaps the most epic track is the atmospheric and mostly instrumental 4-minute banger, “Eutanasia,” which features only some spoken dialogue in Italian in the beginning. You do not really need to understand what the dialogue is all about – the music speaks volumes! Setting things in motion acoustically, the song evolves into a haunting ocean of distortion upon which the plaintive melodies traverse like vessels in the sea. Some of the guitar legatos resonate thick with a violin-like air – but, yes, of course! Italians have had a habit of making the violin sing since Devil knows when!
Of course, the album has its minor blemishes too; “Achuk” does not really speak to me that well – perhaps it’s because of the somewhat folksy-rhythmed first verse that spoils the melancholy magic or the fact that, overall, the song comes off but an exercise in throaty singing with not enough highlights to remember afterward. I don’t know. Maybe the slight feeling of being let down merely derives from the fact that the other songs are so much better.
Plunging headlong in the murky post-rock realm, “Forever Sweet Dreams” features some clean vocals too, courtesy of Erlad. While his accent comes instantly off as Italian, his signature tone is closer to the British post-punk standard of yesteryear, which creates quite a contrast to the harsh vocals of R.F. Sinister. This song resonates with the aura of being the centerpiece on this album not only because it is by far the longest track.
Next up, “The Final Crossroads” comes off almost as a bastard offspring of mid-1990s Brit-pop and black metal, if not even black’n’roll – something like a cross between RIDE, MOTÖRHEAD, and MAYHEM. This dynamic duo has honed its signature sound for more than a decade and they sure do have a knack for capturing the repressed aggression of black metal and marrying it with the youthful alienation of generations past.
Closing the album, “Oh Sea” is the closest KINTSUKUROI hits to the melancholy gloom of NOVEMBRE. These sorrowful melodies continue the sentiment of the latter’s nothing short of haunting 2006 album “Materia” and as such serve as an appropriate closing chapter to this sonic journey. While raw and unpolished, deliberately to a degree I’m sure, this 8-track offering is quite a stunning entrée into the realm of post-black metal. There is an inherently Italian feature of melodrama being interwoven into the songs and it’s something that sets this bunch apart from the standard post-rock-tinted black metal with all sorts of hipster leanings. I have a feeling that this dynamic duo might be onto something rather spectacular in the future if they keep this streak going.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Ghosting
- About Emotions
- Calling of Razors
- Eutanasia
- Achuk
- Forever Sweet Dreams
- The Final Crossroads
- Oh Sea
Lineup
R.F. Sinister – harsh and spoken vocals, bass
B.G. – guitars, keyboards, clean vocals on track 8
guests:
Cezary Borawski – drums
Francesca Dorio – vocals on track 3
Martina – piano on track 3
Erlad – clean vocals on tracks 6 and 7
Federico Furlan – acoustic guitars
Stefano Condotta – acoustic guitars
Paolo Bruno – lead guitars
Mike Lamb – lead guitars
Matteo Libralesso – lead guitars
Label
Pest Productions
