Kayleth – New Babylon

 

 

Kayleth – New Babylon
Argonauta Records - 2024
Metal, Stoner, Grunge, Prog
Rated: ****

We’ve been listening to Kayleth a lot ever since their 2018 Colossus release. And of course we travelled back into their discography after we heard that damn fine album and kept going forward with them, diving headfirst into their amazing 2020 Back To Earth release. But we realized, to our horror, that we never got around to writing a few words about that awesome album. Luckily for us, the stalwarts of the Argonauta Records stable, are already back with a new one called New Babylon. It continues the Kayleth story, the tale spun throughout the records and their glorious take on stoner metal. Glorious for sure, heroic even. Especially when listening to second track and first single The Night, which starts of weirdly like the alternative metal of the two-thousands, before gripping that melody and twisting it into a grunge metal builder. Rising and rising, till the vocals keep repeating that exhaling ‘aahs’ and the louder ‘wooahs’ and all that wonderful key work is allowed to carry it all home. Your chest will rise and your fists will be ready! You shall not lay down; you will be a new knight! Yes! On this album the Italian five manage to translate heroism into wild and wonderful sounds, often sounding even more like a grungier, metal version of Monster Magnet, mixed with mix a definitive love for Kyuss, Orange Goblin and a prog rock outfit like Riverside. All thanks to the ever growing synth moments on the album. They make the heavy sound weighty and give weight to all their heaviness. But at the same time they implore that melodic and spacey touch with such grace, that you cannot help but ride those grooves all the way to the end. Just listen to the following Giants March and the way that synth work in the beginning signals the prog that will surely arrive. Cemented by that gliding guitar sound, the slow continuation, into more stoner territory, it’s exactly what Kayleth does best. This time vocalist Enrico Gastaldo even implores some of that famous Wyndorf color and mannerism, without ever losing his own voice. And then there’s that closing Pyramids, resting comfortably in that doom touched stoner tempo, propelled by the vocals after that opening section, a break down and then another vocalized propellant, before going full force into speed metal territory, while the synth goes absolute batshit crazy. What a closer! What an album! Given to us by the jewel of the Verona, Italy heavy underground: Kayleth!

Hear ye hear ye!! Kayleth’s album New Babylon will be out on Argonauta Records on Friday May 24th! And we are extremely honored to announce we will be doing a FULL ALBUM PREMIERE for thew new Kayleth album New Babylon this Thursday! Set your clock, get up early! It’s space trucking and stoner rocking time! We’re off to New Babylon!

(Written by JK)

Listen to the single The Night below and come back for more on Thursday...



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