K L P S - K L P S (Album Review)

Release Date: March 07th 2025. Record Label: These Hands Melt. Formats: DD/Vinyl

K L P S - Track Listing:

1.SUBVERSE

2.KATARSIS

3.TRIBULATION

4.NATTSVART

5.UNDERTOW 

6.AUREOLA

Review

Post Metallers K L P S return with a new name (previously known as KOLLAPS\E) and a heavier new sound with powerful Ambient beats appearing as well. Their new self-titled album is perhaps considered a creative rebirth for the band whilst still pursuing their epic Sludge/Post-Metal sounds they’ve created on their previous records.

K L P S are aligned more closely to bands such as ISIS, CULT OF LUNA and The Ocean Collective for this record which comes across superbly well within the opening track of SUBVERSE. The vocals are aggressive and harsh throughout which is a classic staple of the modern day Post-Metal scene. They’re quite easy to understand and that’s a good thing to fully understand the sublime lyrics K L P S have written for the album.

There’s a subtle Progressive Metal energy which draws comparisons to the likes of NEUROSIS and MASTODON in places but with K L P S fusing a Crust Punk and Doom Metal energy to their music which becomes ever more present on tracks such as KATARSIS and TRIBULATION. K L P S keeps things interesting by switching to a slower pace of music when the Ambient and Post-Rock sounds appear but this mood doesn’t last for long with the band turning into a destructive force of nature once more.

The music throughout the album is superbly executed with the band’s technical ability coming on leaps and bounds compared to their previous album. The record has many different layers of Post-Metal that K L P S develops with an intense rage that is felt through everything contained on the whole album.

This can be quite a complex and challenging album to listen to with K L P S touching upon some heavy and emotionally charged themes which comes across through the superbly written lyrics and emotionally charged vocals that become even more daring on the later stages of the album on tracks such as UNDERTOW and AUREOLA.

K L P S self titled album is an epic record that should see the band reach new heights within the Post-Metal community and allow them to become a force to be reckoned with. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to K L P S for the promo.

The album is available for pre-order and will be released on CD/DD/Vinyl via These Hands Melt from Friday March 07th 2025.

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

KOLLAPS\E - Phantom Centre (Album Review)

Release Date: 13th January 2023. Record Label: Trepanataon Recordings. Formats: CD/DD/Cassette

Phantom Centre: Tracklisting

Era

Beautiful Desolate

Uhtceare

Anaemia

Brant barn skyr elden

Radiant//Static

Murrain

Members

Dennis Akesson - Bass

Johannes Landgren - Drums

Peter Walefors - Guitars

Daniel Wallenborg - Guitars/Vocals

Review

Swedish Sludge/Post-Metal collective KOLLAPS\E debut album Phantom Centre follows the similar destructive path that bands such as Neurosis, ISIS and CULT OF LUNA are known for. There's more of a Crust Punk and Doom Metal flavour to KOLLAPS\E overall sound. The harsh vocals and Ambient Post-Rock hooks offer a bleak exercise which the band exploit to their full creative advantage.

Opening song Era is a gloomy violent song with bleak vocals merging with Ambient Post-Rock and Psych Metal surprisingly well. The Sludge/Post-Metal grooves are a mixture of fast-paced sounds and slower soundscapes for a song that's quite exciting to hear once the band unleash a torrent of Sludgy riffs with Psychedelic elements that can be quite "riff-centric". The "less is more" production style for the album allows KOLLAPS\E to bring a more realistic approach to their music and reminds me of early-era ISIS.

Second song Beautiful Desolate continues with the harsh Post-Rock/Post-Metal landscape but with a faster approach where the music is concerned. Bleak vocals and dark lyrical content sees the band move further into Progressive Metal territory with a wonderful sounding Psych Sludge Metal backdrop that has an air of calmness despite the superb and intense vocals from Daniel. The song does have an "Industrial" vibe towards the later stages of the song that allow this track to be one of the standout tracks on the album.

Third song Uhtceare opens with a gloomy Psych Post-Rock riff that lasts an age. Ice cold and quite solitary before the band start adding Ambient textures with Post-Doom guitars that can be quite distorted in places. The song is quite multi-layered with the QUIET vs LOUD moments offering KOLLAPS\E plenty of room to play heavier sounds. The song feels inspired by CULT OF LUNA classic album Eternal Kingdom but still being it's very own thing. The Crust sound is very atmospheric and this ends up being another one of the album's standout tracks. 

Three songs down and four to go with KOLLAPS\E impressing even further on tracks such as: Anaemia, Brant barn skyr elden, Radiant//Static and Murrain being even heavier than the first half of the album despite the majority of the tracks running under the five minutes mark. Heavy Psych Sludge guitars are perhaps the main creative weapon of choice for this part of the album. Though, the songs are vastly different to each other especially on Anaemia and Radiant//Static being the standout tracks on this part of the album.

The instrumental work is excellent yet again with KOLLAPS\E bringing back the mid-2000's legendary Post-Metal sound but giving it a more modern Psychedelic Sludge and Ambient Post-Rock edge. The production values as I said earlier are more DIY based compared to other bands within the scene, However, everything sounds EPIC and has a seedy tone that definitely allows KOLLAPS\E to create an unflinching and highly unapologetic atmosphere which what a great Post-Metal album should have.

Overall, Phantom Centre is an excellent release and welcome addition to the Sludge/Post-Metal underground scene with KOLLAPS\E proving their creative worth here. The album could have been on a little bit longer but apart from that minor complaint, Phantom Centre is a first rate album packed full of sublime heavy grooves and Ambient sounds that showcases why KOLLAPS\E could become major players within the underground scene in the years to come.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to KOLLAPS\E for the promo. 

Phantom Centre will be available to buy on CD/DD/Cassette via Trepanation Recordings from January 13th 2023.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Post-Metallers KOLLAPS\E Announce Debut Album Phantom Centre via Trepanation Recordings

Trepanation Recordings are delighted to be working with Helsingborg, Sweden's post-metal/sludge quartet, KOLLAPS\E to release their debut album 'Phantom Centre' on 13th January 2023.

As well as digital download, 'Phantom Centre' will be released on limited edition CD and cassette and you can pre-order your copy here:

 https://kollapsemusic.bandcamp.com/album/phantom-centre

You can also stream the new single 'BEAUTIFUL DESOLATE' on Bandcamp now.

RIYL: Breach, Cult of Luna, Neurosis

Introduce Yourselves: KOLLAPS\E

What is the name of your band?

KOLLAPS\E - Helsingborg - Sweden

What is the genre of music that you play?

Post-Metal, Sludge-Metal, Post-Hardcore

Can you give a brief history of the band of how it came together and where it is today?

We started out 2018 as a 3-piece. Just trying to write some tunes and have some fun without being to serious. In 2019 we found a bas player and we became a complete band.

In 2021 we released The Pandemic Sessions, a 2 song Single. As of right now we are working on new material and are hopefully going to record sometime early next year.

What can people expect from your music?

Heavy, distorted, calm and chaos.

What is the best release that folks should check out from your band?

The Pandemic Sessions

Where can people find you on Social Media?

https://instagram.com/kollapse_music
http://kollapsemusic.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/kollapsemusik/
https://open.spotify.com/album/5IRalT8yLe7epUQIsMj1fT?si=_JAi0TG-SgiyiOHZh7W6uw
https://youtu.be/WnmSm1B_eZ4