Llave a las profundidades...

Kexelür is a trio from Chile formed by Λ. and V. in early 2020, joined by J. sometime later that year. Their first release comes in 2022 as a demo, although it can stand as a proper full length release both due to its length and production quality. It is called ‘Llave a las profundidades​.​.​.’ and it contains three lengthy songs of overall duration of forty five minutes and it was released by the band in a digital and limited to 50 copies CD-R format, in 2022. The edition that I have in my possession is the re-released one in digipak cd format by Sun & Moon records in 2023 containing some information about the band and the lyrics of the songs. So, I have this album since the day that it came out but I didn’t want to write anything before I understood completely, or try to understand completely, what this band is trying to achieve and what Sun & Moon saw in them and re-released their demo.

This band combines most of the Latin American elements that you would expect that a typical band from there would have. So, the compositions are ruled by the very dark and thick atmosphere, the simplicity in riffing and the classic Metal influences. However, there is a lot more going on in this release. First of all, you will notice the strange but very interesting structure of the tracks which throws at you a lot of changes and in times that you won’t expect them. There are references to old school classic sound of the first wave of Black Metal but Doom, Speed, Thrash and Heavy references are present too. Apart from these, you will notice some other very interesting influences and experimentations to be unveiled slowly. There are some parts with psychedelic improvisations, some parts with progressive progress but also some 70’ies dark, satanic rock references. In general, the result gives a refreshing perspective into the classic sound of the Latin American scene.

Λ. is the composer and the one who plays the guitars and bass and he has done a very good job for both of the instruments. The same applies also to the drums which are performed by V. and although they are a bit lower than the strings, they add stability and power to the compositions. The main vocals are deep, heavy and dark, brutal, old school vocals honoring the Latin American heritage, whereas there are moments with clean vocals or harsh vocals, too. The production is clean and bassy, creating a thick atmosphere and a warm sound. The mixture is quite balanced, highlighting the guitars and the vocals, leaving a little back the drums and the bass, offering a nice result. The digipak contains the lyrics which are written in Spanish and I have no idea what they talk about but it is nice to have them there especially for the Spanish speakers.

I have to admit that for the first couple of listens, I was lost inside their compositions, maybe because of the length of the songs and some lengthy passages that you will find in various parts. However, if you take the time to absorb the compositions, you will appreciate their effort. Of course, there are improvements to be considered for future releases, such as the lengthy passages, but in general this band looks really promising. If I had to choose a song, that would be ‘Navegando en las ruinas de lo inenarrable’, with the rest coming very close to that one. If you are a fan of old school, atmospheric and dark Black Metal, this one’s for you. However, I believe that every open minded Metal fan would appreciate this album.