Here's a question. What would one get if one were to team up guitarists from Orthrelm / Ocrilim and Behold... the Arctopus, put them into a studio and ask them to make some black metal? Answer: Six tracks of the mesmerising music that is Krallice!

The culprits in question here are none other than guitarists extraordinaire, Mick Bark and Colin Marston. Anyone familiar with the discography of the afore mentioned bands would be more than familiar with the kind of music these gentlemen make - namely, technically sophisticated music that seems both precise and calculated. However, in this outing, joined by Black Panda's drummer Lev Weinstein, they end up making music that seems to occupy the fringes of black metal - at once both complex and beautifully abstract. Mind you, this is not the usual Satanic, Odin-istic or pagan stuff that is the staple black metal we are used to from Scandinavia. Krallice seem to abide by the formal black metal parameters while trying to project a different aesthetic.

From the first note, it becomes abundantly clear that we are in for a different breed of black metal - the guitars weave abstract lines while sticking to the standard black metal tone, while the drums are more straightforward and in your face. Weinstein is clearly at home here, matching the intricacy of the guitars while blast beating to hell. Another standout feature is the mind-numbing solos - this is technical black metal at its crippling best.

As for picks of the album, my favourite is the closing 15 minute monster, Forgiveness In Rot. It truly is an amazing track, featuring relentlessly bubbling melodies that build some great tension and display wonderful interplay between the guitars - the counterpoint playing between Barr and Warston is at its best here. Cnestorial, the second track boasts one of the most expressive and memorable solos towards the end that sounds like it's played at the speeed of light, and TimeHusk is a scorcher of a song that ebbs and flows while never really granting release. Believe me, every track on this record is strong and you barely notice the minutes disappear (and disappear they do, since this is a long album by any standards).

Krallice, mind you, is not an easy listen, but an exhausting yet rewarding one - it takes repeated listens to unearth all that is going on. There is so much to absorb here, for every musician on board is so distinguished and avant garde. Profound Lore has struck gold with this release, and with a new Krallice album due out this month, I wait with bated breath. If it is going to be anything close to this one, it indeed is going to take USBM to the next level.