KLOGR
“Fractured Realities”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Klogr are an alternative metal & rock band from Italy formed in 2011 who have to date released two E.P.’s – ‘Till You Turn’ (2013) and ‘Make Your Stand’ (2015), and four albums – ‘Till You Decay’ (2011), ‘Black Snow’ (2014), ‘Keystone’ (2017) and ‘Fractured Realities’ (2024).

After a seven year hiatus, Klogr (pronounced kay – log – are), return with a brand new album, and as guests supporting Swedish progressive metallers Evergrey on the bands upcoming November and December (2024) tour of the UK and Europe. Klogr’s current line-up consists of founder Gabriele “Rusty” Rustichelli (vocals, guitar), Alessandro “Crivez” Crivellari (guitar), Filippo “Fil” De Pietri (drums), and Roberto “Pivo” Pivanti (bass) – the bands new album ten songs long across forty minutes that sees, or rather hears the band evolve their sound by incorporating electronics and synthesizers, which only enhances the alternative, progressive, metal and rock foundations the band’s sound is built on – ‘Early Wounds’ hammering the ground right from the off! I know it’s been seven years since I last listened to the band, but I can’t quite remember Klogr’s sound being this beefy, ‘Early Wounds’ shuddering the ground like a pneumatic drill!

But I guess the time “away” has rejuvenated and re-energised the band to make Klogr a more formidable force than ever before – hell, even the album cover has more colour than all of the bands previous releases put together! And maintaining the ground shuddering start, ‘Gravity Of Fear’ is heavier than ‘Early Wounds’, but at the same time more melodious, the chorus break an enjoyable sing a long that every listener is gonna join in with. The opening brace has been emphatic, the Italian metallers making one helluva return to the world stage. Marching on with the pace changing tempo changing ‘The Twisted Art’, Klogr display a little aggression here too, punching hard and kicking harder to deliver a genre spanning song – genres such as (obviously) metal and rock but industrial too, the band continuing their all conquering onslaught of variation. Yet among all the variation on show, Klogr remain a thunderous force of nature, holding everyone’s attentions tightly as ‘Face The Unknown’ thunders in with all the gusto of a force ten hurricane!

And if anyone’s expecting a Sunday morning stroll – well I am writing this review on a Sunday morning after all – you can just forget it, the band pounding the ground harder than ever before with the pulsating ‘One Of Eight’, the barrage of metal oozing outta ‘Fractured Realities’ fairly savage. And to be brutally honest, the rock side of the bands sound appears to have gone the way of the dinosaurs, the Italian four piece taking up a permanent residency in metal territory – and not just in the one area either, the band exhibiting nomad tendencies by wandering across the land to incorporate new and fresh elements into their ever expanding array of musical styles! I haven’t mentioned the albums intensity level yet – it’s sky fucking high, ‘Fractured Realities’ gripping listeners attentions tighter than ever as ‘Lead Wings’ spreads the bands progressive wings wider than at any other point on the album so far. I tell ya readers, the bands locker must be fucking huge to house the mesmerising myriad of musical styles the band have on display, ‘Unspoken Words’ maintaining the incredible intensity level I only just mentioned! The jack hammer riffing here is monumental, the band blending a little groove metal into ‘Unspoken Words’ too, thrashers all over the world pricking their ears up at this one, Klogr broadening the bands fanbase to new and uncharted widths!

What a full on and commanding album ‘Fractured Realities’ has been so far, ‘Hysterical Blindness’ not letting go of anyone’s attentions just yet, the band swinging from one side of metal territory to the other, the chorus break here a highly head bang-able affair! Yes readers, head bang-able – so flex those neck muscles and rock your heads back and forth in rhythmic unison with the band! And featuring more thunder than any other song on offer, ‘Waking World’ is a prime example of just how fucking glorious the bands root sound is – Klogr seamlessly melding together a large number of musical styles! Mostly metal styles though, for the Italians are a metal band, standing tall and proud in the heart of metal territory with an extraordinary reach! A reach that’s outstripped everything the band have offered on previous releases, ‘Fractured Realities’ continuing to surprise as it comes to a close with the slower tempo and fairly menacing ‘Whale Fall’. All album long the band have shuddered the ground with immense heaviness, nearby buildings shaken to their foundations by the bands all consuming sonic onslaught.

Overall, a mesmerising display of metal, Klogr offer incredible variation at every twist and turn of a stunning “comeback” album.

TRACKLIST

Early Wounds
Gravity Of Fear
The Twisted Art
Face The Unknown
One Of Eight
Lead Wings
Unspoken Words
Hysterical Blindness
Waking World
Whale Fall

http://www.klogr.net/home/
https://www.facebook.com/klogr

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