I have seen two kinds of people. One kind considers Krosis mind-blowing and their albums extremely memorable whereas the other, completely dismisses it as boring and unoriginal. I lie somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. And to be honest, I did actually enjoy “A Memoir of Free Will” released back in 2020. These North Carolina boys marked the end of the “Memoir Anthology” with their latest EP “E.V.I.L”, and we are here to talk about it!
The EP opener "Amaranthus'' begins with groovy djent-based riffs with technical spicings and blasting drums on top of it. Halfway through the track, the orchestration shines. The layers of guitar lead till the end, giving a form of climatic resolution, ending it with marching drum rhythm. "Begonia" is fast paced, with choppy alternate picking-riff sections, reminiscent of their signature sound. The guitar solos in the middle carries the melody forward, following which the song lets the orchestration shine, flowing back into the sheer heaviness. "Loss" showcases some chilling middle-eastern melodies, which bleeds into the choppy djenty riff of "Gladiolus". Halfway through the song features jazzy styled drum playing with interesting jazzy basslines. Add some wickedly technical but melodic solo at the end, and you have the perfect ending. The second-half of the EP with tracks like "Hyacinth" and "Chrysanthemum" showcases technicality while flowing back and through the proggy, alienated soundscape. "Mors Voluntaria '' begins with a lengthy clip with chanting vocals on top flowing into the mid-paced outro track "Every Virtue is Lost". This track perfectly embodies the extermination and apocalypse soundscape, aiding to their aptly named EP.
“E.V.I.L” has everything that Krosis has to offer through its sound - djent, technical riffs with blasting drums, some beautiful bass lines and brutal vocals, which I totally dig for. There is much improvement in the sound and the production. While everything sounds fine and pitch perfect, there seems a bit of lethargy in songwriting - often the lack of creativity in riffs and transition period is covered by orchestration and symphonic elements. This becomes evident much in the second-half of the EP. Apart from these minor bits and cracks, the EP really shines for me as Krosis’ best work till date!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Website: https://www.facebook.com/krosisnc
Genre: Progressive Djent/ Progressive Death Metal
Worldwide Release: January 28th, 2022.
