Review by Saxy S for Ultar - Kadath (2016)

Kadath is a prime example of how perception can change over time. Having never heard of Ultar before this, my only expectation was that they were a blackgaze group from the Krasnoyarsk region. Initial thoughts were mixed, but I cannot say that I didn't enjoy parts of how Kadath sounded. The biggest issues I had with the album had to do with production sounding very treble heavy and not emphasizing its low end enough to make these songs really pop off.

Repeated listens is when the issues hit. Blackgaze is, by definition, not a very innovative genre. And with very few exceptions (i.e. Svalbard, White Ward, etc.), growth in the genre has become remarkably stale since Deafheaven's Sunbather. If I were to listen to Kadath when it came out nearly ten years ago, I probably would have enjoyed it more; I like Sunbather and Kadath just seems to be more of that. But now, having been oversaturated with blackgaze and a fair bit of it stemming from the Russian Federation, Kadath doesn't do anything for me personally. More so, the albums faults are further emphasized. Lacking a prominent bass to propel these tracks forward is a grave misfire in the worst of times, and here is no exception. Including two such interlude tracks ("Shore of the Sleeping Seas" and "The Ancient Ones") are comfortable breaks, but I'm not sure that "Xasthur" and "Azathoth" really needed them. The closing track "Kadath" does sound really nice and has this excellent sounding crescendo leading towards a conclusion, but not only does this crescendo feel excessive, but it also leaves the listener on a cliffhanger; it's literally the Dragonball meme where Goku charges his finishing move for an entire half-an-hour episode, only to miss in the last thirty seconds.

Best Songs: Xasthur, Azathoth