The latest cultist joining the Kolkata Inner Order is Kaal Nagini presenting themselves with their latest EP Refracted Lights of a Blind God. This is a continuation of the coming assault from the Indian subcontinent, these hellish ghouls produce some crushingly devastating death metal that is continuing to carve away at the small but rapidly expanding and very impactful Kolkata underground scene. Punishing and unrelenting Kaal Nagini shows no mercy for the listener, and those who listen through the whole EP is rewarded with quite the experience.
With the opening track, there’s no denying that this is one heavy endeavor. The four minutes feel like an eternity as this massive sound crushes you under its might. Vibrating double bass and an incredibly low tuned guitars accompanied by some guttural and bestial vocals, all come together as a massively powerful introduction for the band. Much like their peers in the inner circle, there’s little compromise or breaks, and even at times borders on noise. Though the production here is more traditional and not just out right raw. There are some moments on here that remind me of more traditional brutal death metal except a lot more incoherent and really playing into the cosmic horror aspect of things here.
This is a dense wall of sound to penetrate but it had me hooked from start to finish. The over all sixteen minute run-time felt like an entire lifetime had passed with how much force this release brought. Its great to experience a new and fresh approach while still being able to stick to a traditional sound and simply expand on it. The blackened death metal sound is only expanded more with the introduction of Kaal Nagini and with their impactful debut, it certainly makes me look forward to what ever more they bring to the table in the future. The Kolkata underground is rapidly growing and I am here for it.