Kehlvin – Holy Cancer

June 13, 2008 • Division Records

In my neverending quest to find the best sludge albums of all time, I came across the semi-obscure Swiss band Kehlvin, who have a relatively typical atmo-sludge sound to them albeit with a bit of an experimental edge. It's not fantastic music but it definitely has its moments here and there.

Holy Cancer has the sort of sprawling record with a huge, enveloping sludgy sound I've come to love from plenty of other bands. Kehlvin, however, focuses much more on atmosphere than your average sludge band, with lots of very dense riffing and guitar textures, in addition to plenty of softer post-rock and post-hardcore influenced bits. Although you wouldn't know it at first, Kehlvin is definitely capable of bringing a really nicely heavy riffing style when they want to. It's nothing terribly original, though, aside from their over-reliance on dissonant riffs, which become a bit of a turn-off for me after a while.

The songwriting has its highs and lows as well: both of the longer tracks, over ten minutes each, manage to not feel too long, aside from "Le Barnacle"'s quieter middle section which seems to stretch on a bit much. The individual riffs and melodies themselves are nice, although the way they are strung together seems a bit haphazard, making the songs hard to follow at times. Regardless, the even contrast of lighter and heavier sections works well. The interludes serve a similar purpose but I'm not a big fan of them; they seem contrived and dull.

While I definitely wouldn't count Holy Cancer among my favorites, it's certainly not a bad album, and there is enough to enjoy. It's just simply not the most original thing I've heard and the good bits are a bit too buried. Still recommended for sludge completionists.

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