Krisiun: The Will To Potency – new video

One of the most impressive South American death metal bands, KRISIUN - the Três Irmãos from Brazil, have unleashed a new, Tommy Jones-directed video ‘The Will To Potency’. The video director commented:

“I had the idea of filming the band out in the middle of the desert because I love that area and always wanted to do a desert shoot. So I convinced the driver to pull over in the middle of nowhere at 9 AM. We filmed for about 2 and a half hours out there, using a laptop as audio playback. We caught the attention of the Mexican Border Patrol who came to check out what we were doing. They sent about 3 SUVs out to check us out. Once they made sure we weren’t doing anything “too illegal” they got a kick out of it and were taking pictures on their iPhones because they said in all their years, they haven’t seen a band set up in the middle of the desert.”

‘The Will To Potency’ comes off KRISIUN's eight studio album ‘The Great Execution’, issued through Century Media Records in October/November 2011.  KRISIUN's trademark high speed death metal violence, “ranging from extreme tempo variations over distinct rhythm patterns to clean guitars and even Flamenco parts!”, was produced by German producer Andy Classen at Stage One Studio and recorded entirely on analogue equipment. ‘The Great Execution’ also features appearance by guest vocalist Joao Gordo (RATOS DE PORAO) and acoustic guitarist Marcello Caminha. Listen to more of “the drums that pound instead of bounce and to guitar tones that sear rather than hiss” below. ‘The Great Execution’ is available here (CM Distro) and on iTunes:

“So while blistering guitar solos and quasi-blast-beat rhythms are never too far off, they tend to serve as brief and distinct passages here - not the be all, end all - of token tracks like ‘Blood Of Lions’, ‘Descending Abomination’ and ‘Shadows Of Betrayal’. Also worthy of note: the standout title cut boasts unusual melodic lyricism in its opening sequence; the ambitious ‘Sword Of Orion’ and ‘Shadows Of Betrayal’ respectively pack acoustic guitar flourishes and a true - gulp! - chorus amid their epic frameworks; and the album's lone breakneck entry, ‘Extinção Em Massa’, of course contains rare Portuguese lyrics, perhaps in tribute to legendary countrymen Vulcano. All told, these qualities produce a fine album that may not sit well with all the KRISUN fans that stood by the band's resistance to change over the years, but will hopefully draw new fans to their cause with its broader ambitions,” [argued Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic – more here]

“Maturity, they say, is not measured in years, but in actions. It is not quantifiable, but one knows it when he/she sees it - or in the case of KRISIUN's ‘The Great Execution’ - when he/she hears it. It is an album that sees the band stepping outside of their comfort zone, producing songs that are unlike any of their previous releases - yet distinctly and immediately their own. The songs are diverse, containing extreme tempo variations, distinct patterns, and even clean guitars on select tracks,” [argued the press release]

Founded by brothers Alex Camargo (bass and vocals), Moyses Kolesne (guitar) and Max Kolesne (drums) in 1990 in the south of Brazil, KRISIUN have recorded a couple of demos before moving to the largest city in the southern hemisphere, São Paulo, where they recorded and self-released an EP and two full-lengths (1995's ‘Black Force Domain’ and 1998's ‘Apocaliptic Revelation’), before signing with Century Media in 1999. “The improved songwriting and production make ‘Conquerors Of Armageddon’ [2000] an especially good introduction to KRISIUN brand of punishing (if admittedly not all that varied) death metal. For those keeping score, this album may not be quite as fast as ‘Black Force Domain’ but it’s still extremely fast,” [wrote William York, AllMusic – more here]. ‘Ageless Venomous’ came out in 2001 with ‘Works Of Carnage’ following in 2003. KRISIUN's sixth album ‘AssassiNation’, released in 2006, was dedicated to the memory of Krzysztof Raczkowski (also known as “Doc”, drummer for Polish death metal band VADER) and PANTERA's Dimebag Darrell:

“ ‘AssassiNation’ constitutes the Brazilian death metal institution's first all-new album in nearly three years - one of the longest gestation periods afforded by their obsessively workaholic habits. And, whether it served to regenerate the band's creative juices, or, more likely, simply give their critics and fans some time to actually start missing them again, this break certainly enhances ‘AssassiNation’s arrival with a palpable feeling of excitement. A good thing, too, since bludgeoning opener ‘Bloodfire’ seems almost stubbornly defiant in its unforgiving, remorseless death metal onslaught; as if KRISIUN are literally staring down all those who in the past accused them of committing extremity for mere extremity's sake, with an insolent: “So what?”, [commented Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic – more here]

KRISIUN paid tribute to their Brazilian brothers in arms with a cover of SEPULTURA's ‘Refuse/Resist’ on their third collaboration with producer Andy Classen, 2008 album ‘Southern Storm’:

“As their works and experience demonstrate, KRISIUN stand toe-to-toe with their death metal peers in ferocity and sheer shred-ability. Having toured the world with the likes of KREATOR, MORBID ANGEL, CANNIBAL CORPSE, NAPALM DEATH etc, in addition to having graced the stages of major metal festivals throughout Europe and beyond, the band has also gained a hard-earned reputation for crushing live shows. One would be hard-pressed to find a metal band today as consistent and stable in terms of quality and conviction as KRISIUN. By successfully ignoring trends and fads, they have emerged as one of the most impressive death metal imports from South America,” [concludes this journey for us in a loving way the band's faithful label]

KRISIUN features: Alex Camargo – vocals and bass, Moyses Kolesne – guitar and Max Kolesne – drums