Kevel – Hz of the Unheard

Genre: Instrumental Post Metal
Country: Greece
Label: Self-Released
Year: 2014

Kevel is a band from Athens that has chosen to walk in the rutty path of instrumental post-metal. Their decision to become a part of a scene with low popularity (in Greece) is a display of character and determination in my opinion, and that alone is a good omen for the band’s perspective.

Besides character, a band is also required to possess talent and appetite for hard work. Kevel seems to have both, as one can become aware of listening to their debut album. The song structure is based on the guitar work. In the five songs of the album, the guitars are incessantly grappling with convoluted themes, imprinted with various techniques, which at first gave me a sense of irrelevancy, still, after a few spins they started revealing their tight bonds. The level of effort put in the band’s debut work cannot go unnoticed. What they have achieved -composing such intricate songs without becoming dull- is no plain task. As a result, the plethora of heavy/progressive parts their songs consist of is manifest, which, in conjunction with the heavy production lead them one step above the traditional sound of the genre.

At this point Ι feel obligated to report an objection of mine, regarding the record’s motif. I’d be more thrilled if the band centered more in atmosphere and sentiment development. In the sparse parts that they chose to integrate melody, I found the result to be overwhelming, so imo they could have a lot more of it. Moreover, their sound seems rather raw in my ears, especially the drums, and that is on e of the reasons I look forward in seeing them live –I have a feeling that they have the potential to make their songs take off performing on a stage.
The band is ambitious and filled with potential. Their record is probably the only of its kind in Greece, and that makes Kevel’s journey rather lonesome. They seem to me to be heading nowhere else but straight towards the top, so I feel that we will be hearing and seeing a lot by them in the future.

4/6