Kaivs - After the Flesh

Angry Metal Guy

No matter your choice of deathly poison, 2024 has delivered a broad array of platters to satiate the death metal urges across the genre’s impressively diverse spectrum. Whether your tastes lean towards the suffocating dissonance of Ulcerate, the bone-jarring crunch of Coffin Rot, the forward-thinking tech slam of Wormed, spaced-out psych-prog explosions of Blood Incantation, spastic aural assault of Pyrrhon, or thrash and grind infected old school flavor of Ripped to Shreds, 2024 has delivered. Following a few lavishly praised higher-profile releases, a dip into the promo sump’s more obscure, underground depths is a refreshing way to uncork a surprise packet. Enter Rome, Italy’s Kaivs, dropping their full-length debut, After the Flesh, upon the masses. This unheralded act skews towards the traditional; eschewing advanced technicality, dissonant chaos, or songwriting trickery to instead bludgeon and heave through eight tracks, taking cues from the classic Swedeath scene, including legends such as Grave and Dismember. Can this relatively new band juggle contemporary smarts and individual flair with timeless influences?

After the Flesh hits hard from the outset, pulling no punches as it settles into a raw, dank and rumbling groove, maintaining a no-frills ethos and rank, dirgey attitude, absorbing the dying moisture from the fetid soil of the past, aiming to weld past glories of their spiritual ancestors with a sound they can call their own. Kaivs don’t have a great deal of weapons at their disposal, following the old Bloodbath motto of brutality through simplicity. Musically there are no sharp turns or surprises, however Kaivs’ no-nonsense, brawny delivery and raw guttural edge manages to get the basics right for a formula that’s easy to ape, but difficult to do well. Opener ‘Koshercannibal” sets the platform and blueprint for its counterparts to follow, cleaving through with gruff vocals and heaving riffs, featuring a mix of doomy plods, mid-paced rumbles, and quicker lashings of speed.

Kaivs go hard for the album’s tight 35-minute duration, wearing its tremolo melodies, graveyard atmospheres, and Swedeath love on their tattered sleeves. An extra dose of heaviness and rawer aesthetics lend the album a meaner edge, emphasized on frantic cuts such as the bruising lurch of “SEpulchrist” and livelier crunch of ‘Blasphemer After the Flesh.” The majority of material lingers in mid-paced territory, looking to bludgeon and steamroll rather than finesse or blaze away with speedier tempos. This proves a hindrance, as repetition and monotony weaken the album, detracting from its more appealing elements. After the Flesh feels longer than its efficient runtime would suggest, and several songs stretch beyond their limits. For instance, the rumbling death-doom core of “Beyond the Autopsy” hits the spot, showcasing Kaivs potential to expand on the doomy aspects of their sound. However, solid qualities are dragged down by its six-minute plus length, losing momentum gained. Elsewhere, “For Satan Your Flesh for God Your Soul” benefits from its rugged, dynamic approach and rhythmic variations.

After the Flesh’s construction is suitably rough and pummeling in design, unfortunately, the songwriting cannot match the band’s good intentions and solid musicianship. After the Flesh is lacking in a few key areas. While they avoid slipping into derivation and pure Swedeath worship, the material comes across as little too one note. Chunks of the album tend to slip into a stew of interchangeable ideas and patterns, hamstrung by a lack of variation and an array of repetitive rhythms, riffs, and tempos. Extra shots of d-beaten violence, leaning into their doomier side, or more fully embracing the hints of caverncore-esque heaviness would enliven the material and provide a more interesting formula to fully grip the listener. As it stands, the majority of material fails to leave a lasting impression, while the production, especially the drums, and squashed mastering leaves a bit to be desired.

I’m a sucker for old school death and the classic Swedeath scene, yet the oversaturation of the style has made it increasingly difficult to stand out amongst the pack. Kaivs differ from the usual devotees by injecting rawer underground heaviness into the equation, and their willingness to dabble in chunkier death-doom realms serves them well, though is not utilized to full effectiveness. Although there is nothing inherently wrong or offensively bad about what Kaivs do on their debut album, nor is there anything particularly gripping to garner deeper appreciation and hold interest. Hopefully the band can tune up their songwriting for greater reward in the future.



Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Brutal Records
Websites: kaivs.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/kaivsofficial
Releases Worldwide: October 18th, 2024

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