Krallice are a meeting of two approaches to avant-metal guitar and composition. Colin Marston of Behold…The Arctopus and Dysrhythmia has long demonstrated an interest in the epic and a catharsis through lightning-speed displays of technical proficiency on his massive, 12-string Warr guitar. Mick Barr, on the other hand, prefers to achieve transcendence through maddening repetition, as on his two-man band Orthrelm’s magnum opus OV. Krallice manage to reconcile these two approaches into one through the medium of black metal. Far from ramping their abilities down to pursue a Darkthrone-esque roar, Krallice are a forum in which Barr and Marston (accompanied by bassist Nick McMaster and drummer Lev Weinstein) can transform the genre’s ultra-fast tremolo-guitar riffs and blasting rhythms into something akin to Steve Reich or Philip Glass playing incredibly dense progressive rock. These songs, four out of seven of which pass the ten-minute mark with ease, combine insanely focused, dual-guitar interplay with individual moments of anthemic power, most ably demonstrated on “Autochthon,” where the composition repeatedly shifts and splits into parts, either guitarist taking the lead (without ever “soloing” in the traditional sense) and changing the riff, the rhythm section holding it all together. Krallice tracks are almost entirely instrumental; when vocals (by Barr) do appear, they’re indecipherable roars, which is fine. This music is clearly about driving the listener out of his or her mind and into some sort of state of pure sonic bliss, and Dimensional Bleedthrough succeeds tremendously on that score. The production, too, is ace, never catering to black metal’s lo-fi impulses. Each instrument is clearly audible, and in the case of McMaster’s bass, that’s invaluable. This is metal that could appeal to fans of 20th century classical music as much as extreme rock. – Phil Freeman