Kaleidobolt |Karakuchi |Svart Records

Release Date 06.03.2026
Format CD/LP/Digital
Genre Psych/Prog Rock
Country Finland

Kaleidobolt has been kicking around Helsinki since 2014, establishing themselves as a loud power trio with a habit of making noise. They spent the last decade building a discography that includes "Bitter" and "This One Simple Trick," albums where they seemingly threw every effect pedal and studio trick into the mix. For this fifth album, "Karakuchi", they decided to strip the gear back. Instead of layering endless overdubs, they went for a raw, live-in-the-studio approach, relying entirely on their ability to play off one another in real-time.

The energy here is frantic and anxious. It sounds like a collision between the technical frustration of King Crimson’s "Red" and the filth of early speed rock. The music is hyperkinetic, twitching between tempos and threatening to spin off the tracks at any moment. The cover art, featuring the band members fused into a weird biomechanical torpedo, actually sums up the vibe well. It is organic, sweaty human performance trying to achieve the velocity of a machine. The riffs are tangled knots of distortion, and the rhythm section pushes everything forward with a sense of panic.

The title "Karakuchi" refers to a dry, pungent taste that hits fast and vanishes, and that description fits the production here perfectly. Because they removed the atmospheric gloss of previous records, the sound is incredibly dry. There is no reverb to hide behind. The songs strike quickly and end abruptly. While the technical skill is obvious, the dryness sometimes makes the tracks feel like rigorous exercises rather than cohesive anthems. It is abrasive and impressive, but the lack of sonic depth means the music doesn't stick in your head long after the needle lifts.

This is a decent listen if you want something that demands your full attention for 37 minutes. It serves up plenty of nervous energy and frantic playing, appealing to those who like their prog weird and their psych fast. However, by trading texture for raw agitation, the album loses some of the immersion found in their back catalog. It is a proficient display of chops that feels a little too clinically dry to truly love.

Score: 6.5

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