Sixteen Sonic Tons

Avarice (42^nd Street)

Kallus

By David Lilly

Lock up your daughters and bar the doors! Louisville metal band Kallus is on the loose with Avarice, a somewhat Man or Astro-Man?-like three-song EP. Not that Kallus is in any way adding surf music to their mix. Rather, they use some prerecorded talk that sounds like it's been lifted from a movie. The difference is that the spoken samples Kallus uses tend to be a bit more ... colorful.

While I have no idea what enlightening information I might ascertain from Kallus' lyrics, upon listening to them repeatedly I have the feeling of being sonically assaulted with no knowledge whatsoever of the intended message. I don't know if I'm being encouraged to do something as strenuous as protesting some real injustice or if they're expressing what it's like to get loaded and smash up a motel room. Either way, the delivery is ferocious.

That may sound like criticism, but I am not slamming Kallus, because they're fun.

While not everyone likes being in the mosh pit, the energy of this music is contagious. I recommend this disc (and Kallus in general) to anyone that gets off on aggressive music made with fire-throwing guitars and Hell's Angels' drumming. This stuff is not for everyone by any means, but those who are into metal should love it.

I'm sure the band would love to hear from you on their message board at http://www.kallus.da.ru/