Ygg huur is the fifth studio album by the American black metal band Krallice. The album was recorded between July 4 and 8 at Menegroth, The Thousand Caves Studio and was self-released digitally by the band on July 30, 2015, with physical versions released in September.[2] The album received widespread critical acclaim[citation needed] for its dense, complex songwriting and unique sound, featuring on a number of end-of-year lists by music publications.

Ygg huur
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 30, 2015
RecordedJuly 4–8, 2015[1]
VenueMenegroth, The Thousand Caves Studio
GenreBlack metal, technical death metal, avant-garde metal
Length35:29
LabelHathenter (CD)
Gilead Media (LP)
Avantgarde Music (European CD)
Daymare Recordings (Japanese CD)
ProducerColin Marston
Krallice chronology
Years Past Matter
(2012)
Ygg huur
(2015)
Hyperion
(2016)

Musical style and writing

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Ygg huur has a highly technical, dense and complex style of metal, that has been described as "[branching] out kaleidoscopically, intricate riffs alternate frantically, from insanely fast tremolos to dissonant squeals, and rhythms float and bounce spastically without any anchors".[3] Though it is rooted in black metal, some music critics have noted the influence of death metal on the album, and comparisons have been made to Gorguts, Deathspell Omega, and Altar of Plagues.[3][4][5]

In an interview, Mick Barr said, "Our method for writing music has remained more or less unchanged since the first album. One of the three song writers will bring forth a song structure and the others will write their parts to it, then we collectively work on it as a band until it feels more or less complete. Or until it is time to record the album, in which case we just go for it, and hope we can make it feel finished in the moment."[6]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork8.2/10[7]
Spin8/10[8]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[9]

Critical reception

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The album generally received positive reviews. Pitchfork was positive in its assessment of the album, writing, "Ygg Huur is more vivid, vexing, and meticulous than most of what the band's old peers still call black metal—a sentence Krallice no longer need to share."[7] The Spin critic Colin Joyce described the album as "the band’s most outwardly tortured material since their 2008 debut, when their take on black metal structures was still relatively straightforward." Joyce added, "They’re all the way through the looking glass on this one, presenting a knobbly vision of the genre that stems and branches out like a particularly warped weeping willow, but given the opiated grandeur of what came between this is a particularly oxygenated version of their blown-out screams and squelches."[8] Sputnikmusic staff writer Elijah K. wrote, "The result is truly interesting metal record that mixes a flurry of modern influences into one tight little package." He concluded that "for major detractors Ygg Huur is well worth looking into."[9]

Accolades

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Publication Award Rank
Pitchfork Best Metal Albums of 2015 Honourable mention[10]
MetalSucks Dave Mustein's Top Fifteen Metal Albums of 2015 3[11]
Spin The 20 Best Metal Albums of 2015 2[12]
Colin Joyce's 25 Best Albums of 2015 8[13]
The 50 Best Albums of 2015 44[14]
Stereogum The 50 Best Metal Albums of 2015 8[15]

Track listing

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No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Idols"McMasterMcMaster3:08
2."Wastes of Ocean"McMasterMarston6:41
3."Over Spirit"BarrBarr6:41
4."Tyranny of Thought"WeinsteinMarston6:41
5."Bitter Meditation"BarrBarr6:41
6."Engram"McMasterMcMaster5:37
7."Trippin' Balls" (Japanese edition bonus track) Jasta 140:54

Personnel

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  • Mick Barr - guitar, vocals (2, 3, 4, 5)
  • Colin Marston - guitar
  • Lev Weinstein - drums
  • Nicholas McMaster - bass guitar, vocals (1, 6)

References

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  1. ^ "Ygg huur, by Krallice". Krallice. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  2. ^ Adams, Gregory (July 30, 2015). "Krallice - 'Ygg huur' (album stream)". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
    - Nelson, Michael (July 30, 2015). "Stream Krallice's Surprise New Album Ygg Huur". Stereogum. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
    - Sacher, Andrew (July 30, 2015). "Krallice dropped a new album 'Ygg huur' (stream it), playing shows, including Mick Barr's residency at The Stone". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Krallice - Ygg huur Review". Angry Metal Guy. August 12, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  4. ^ "Krallice - Ygg Huur (album review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  5. ^ "Krallice – Ygg Huur". Heathen Harvest. December 21, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  6. ^ "Interview: Mick Barr from Krallice". Echoes And Dust. 10 December 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Currin, Grayson Haver (August 6, 2015). "Krallice - Ygg Huur". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Joyce, Colin (August 7, 2015). "Review: Krallice Return to Earth on Careening 'Ygg Huur'". Spin. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  9. ^ a b K., Elijah (July 30, 2015). "Krallice - Ygg Huur". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  10. ^ "The Best Metal Albums of 2015". Pitchfork. 21 December 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  11. ^ "Dave Mustein's Top Fifteen Metal Albums of 2015". MetalSucks. December 1, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  12. ^ "The 20 Best Metal Albums Of 2015". SPIN. December 14, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  13. ^ "Colin Joyce's 25 Best Albums Of 2015". SPIN. December 22, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  14. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". SPIN. December 1, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  15. ^ "The 50 Best Metal Albums Of 2015". Stereogum. December 10, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
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