Formed by two former members of Orochen (Jonas Mattsson and Rasmus Lindblom) plus Daniel Olsson of Hellsongs, Kazea have existed since 2023, and I. Ancestral (Suicide Records) is their debut album.

The music on the record is perhaps surprisingly diverse. The opener “With A Knife” is hung around two spoken-word samples and features a swirling and building neofolk-style guitar ostinato. 

By contrast, the second track, “Pale City Skin,” leans more heavily into the band’s Post-Rock influences, with huge riffs and harmony vocals to the fore. 

By track three, “Trenches,” Kazea are borrowing more from the Metal canon, with feral growled vocals making a prominent appearance. These stylistic variations generally hang together cohesively.

Highlights include the sombre and melancholy verses of “Trenches,” the strangely uplifting quasi-Post-Punk of “Whispering Hand,” the Folk-influenced riffs of “Wailing Blood,” and the Post-Metal choruses of “The North Passage.”

A bleak and desolate record more than it is a heavy one. Although growled vocals and huge riffs feature, the overall feel fits more into a dark heavy Rock bracket than a Metal one. Some might feel that the more Metal sections are perhaps a little too restrained; that Kazea could have gone harder and heavier. But perhaps this misses the point. The textures found on I. Ancestral are exemplary — the band manage to create thick and complex sound tapestries with just one guitar, bass, and drums.

I. Ancestral is neither a neofolk record nor a Metal one. Whether it falls between two stools without quite leaning into either element enough, or conversely whether it manages to synthesise something new and original from its disparate influences, will ultimately be up to the individual listener to decide. It is certainly the case that Kazea don’t quite sound like anyone else.

Production-wise, I. Ancestral is loud, direct, and clear. There is some dynamic difference between the quieter and louder sections, although the record as a whole is perhaps hard-limited a little too much so that the heaviest segments become a little fatiguing.

I. Ancestral is a dark journey that will be of interest to fans of artists such as Wovenhand and Emma Ruth Rundle as well as heavier acts like Amenra and Neurosis. It is powerful, impactful, and emotive, and is a more than commendable first effort from Kazea.

Buy the album here:
https://kazea.bandcamp.com/album/i-ancestral

7 / 10
DUNCAN EVANS
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