Kekal - The Painful Experience (2001)
Kekal is back with another black metal release for all of the starved fans out there. The Painful Experience is the bands third cd release and features Azhar (bass / vocals), Leo (guitars) and Jeff (guitars /
vocals). The band chose to work on material for this album rather than go back and remaster their 1996 demo Contra Spiritualia Nequitiae for release on cd. While it would have been cool to see Contra Spiritualia Nequitiae released
on cd The Painful Experience is a better release. Kekal still comes at listeners with their double-guitar attack and should do a number on most fans. The music is faster than before but what really stands out on this release is the
quality of production. It took the band a couple of albums to get it done but the production level on The Painful Experience is much better than on their
previous releases. It is great to actually hear what the band intended to
make their music sound like instead of listening to music that was hollow at best. The fast paced music is typical Kekal. It shreds from beginning to end with the coarse chords and energetic leads. Jeff and Leo are a good pair on
this album and make the music both haunting and interesting. The band takes a more aggressive posture on this album and it is a change for the better. The band also displays some technical play on this album. The guitars are well
done and move very well from screaming fast parts to the more haunting melodic elements that are found on the cd. Kekal is still a band that people will either love at first listen or hate but with this album there should be mostly
those who love the band. The vocals are one of the more interesting parts of this album. The traditional high-pitched vocals are there as
listeners might expect but interwoven into the vocals are some even higher pitched
screeching, ethereal female vocals and even some clean vocals. The band shows that they do not want to become boring. Kekal has a definite sound that fans like but they are not afraid to reach out and try new stuff. The high
screeching takes some getting used to though. At first listen it sounds pretty irritating but after a couple of listens it is apparent the band chose the vocals to fit with the music. The female vocals could have been a little
stronger though. They were overshadowed by the music and really didnt add the punch that Kekal used them for on past releases. The clean singing is quite a change and is very interesting. While abandoning the screaming vocals would
not do, adding in more clean vocals on a future release should please fans who listen to this release. Kekal uses this album as an opportunity to show fans what they can really do musically and when it is combined with the strong
song-writing the band has displayed on previous releases it is evident the band has put it all together on this release. Songs on The Painful Experience include The Monsters Within, Crave for Solid Ground, Mean Attraction, Like
There's No Other Way to Go, Behind Closed Doors, After The Storm, Given Words, Militia Christi, The Painful Experience and Via Dolorosa. Kekal has taken the best elements from their first 2 releases and built upon them on this
release. The Painful Experience is an excellent album and should find its way on to many listeners top 10 lists of 2001. The band soars with the extra attention to poroduction
and shows it finally put the full package together.
http://www.kekal.cjb.net/ -- Alex Mull