Kardashev - Liminal Rite

Angry Metal Guy

In the year that was 2020—you know, that year—I stumbled across an EP by an unsigned band from Arizona. That EP was The Baring of Shadows by Kardashev, an absolutely devastating record about harrowing heartache and managing mourning. Combining elements of black and post-metal with progressive death, Kardashev‘s self-styled deathgaze casually sauntered to #5 on my 2020 List despite only comprising four tracks, one of which (“Snow-Sleep”) also took my Song o’ the Year spot. It seems I wasn’t the only one Kardashev impressed. It was announced in January 2021 that the quartet had signed to Metal Blade. To say I was pumped for the sophomore full-length would be something of an understatement. Could they possibly match, or even better, the sheer emotional weight of The Baring of Shadows though?

They certainly set out to. Guitarist Nico Mirolla said that the band went into the studio with no fixed plans for what became Liminal Rite, with the focus on “emotional tone first, then everything else follows.” And what an emotional tone it is. Structured around a story, penned and narrated on the record by drummer Sean Lang, of an aging man whose day-to-day existence is slowly diverging from his reality, Kardashev are in absolutely heart-crushing form on Liminal Rite. Much of the credit for this has to go to insanely talented frontman Mark Garrett.¹ He delivers everything from throat-stripping black metal rasps and bestial death metal roars through post-hardcore barks to fragile, soaring cleans—these disparate styles often multi-tracked—mastering each of them, with no obvious weakness to be found. I challenge any metal fan to remain unmoved by the pained fury and helpless desperation that Garrett channels on tracks like “Apparitions in Candlelight” and “Glass Phantoms.”

For all the glorious heartache that was The Baring of Shadows, there were moments on it (“A Frame. A Light.,” in particular) where the different aspects of Kardashev‘s sound felt slightly stitched together. Not so on Liminal Rite, which flows between styles like quicksilver, as the progressive death metal of tracks like “Silvered Shadows” and “Apparitions in the Candlelight” slips seamlessly into both delicate post-metal and something approaching Rivers of Nihil on the stunning “Lavender Calligraphy,” while the monstrous “Compost Grave-Song” leans into Exogensis-like death-doom vibe in places. Lang’s drumming carries Liminal Rite along at a frantic pace for much of the record’s not inconsiderable runtime, imbuing it with a crazed energy, while remaining metronomically precise. Mirolla’s guitar moves between gorgeous Alcest-esque melodic passages and much heavier death metal riffs with ease, supported by the rumbling bass of Alex Rieth. Rieth also contributes piano in places, while sprawling doom-laden closer “Beyond the Passage of Embers” features Bohren & Der Club Of Gore’s saxophonist Christoph Clöser, adding an almost whimsical air to the softer parts of that track.

I lamented that The Baring of Shadows was not longer. Kardashev obviously got the memo, as this record clocks in at a weighty 59 minutes. Just three days ago, I was telling some of the other staffers that the only thing holding back Liminal Rite was its length. While I maintain that it is quite possible to simply have too much of a good thing, I’ve done a reverse ferret on this one. Liminal Rite is heart-wrenchingly beautiful and practically flawless from start to finish. There is nothing I would cut and, on further reflection, making cuts would lessen the gut punch that Kardashev has created here. My one criticism would be that there are a few moments where the production lets down Mirolla and Rieth, as the drums and vocals slightly drown the strings but these are few and far between, and certainly not enough to dent my love of Liminal Rite.

I’m currently battling extreme sleep deprivation thanks to Shark Pup No. 2. Reading this review back in draft, I worry that I have not fully conveyed how genuinely moving tracks like “Lavender Calligraphy,” and indeed the whole of Liminal Rite, are. One definition of ‘liminal’ is ‘occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.’ Kardashev brilliantly occupies both the glaringly light and hauntingly dark places, as well as the shades in between. Any and all time invested in Liminal Rite will be repaid with interest.



Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: karsashev.bandcamp.com | kardashevband.com | facebook.com/kardashevband
Releases Worldwide: June 10th, 2022

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