"From a sophisticated night at the opera to a hyperpaced voyage through another dimension, this is metal that excites and stimulates the mind, never resting on its laurels, always progressing and developing into something new and compelling"

Some of the words that flooded my senses when I listened to Svet Kant’s latest EP Three Faces for the first time were, Grandeur, Gargantuan, Orchestral and Symphonic, to name just a few. I love to be caught off guard when reviewing music, that moment where a WFT echoes around the house, oblivious to me of course because I’ve headphones on! Svet Kant's sound is impossible to pigeonhole or pin down, simply due to the fact that they can conjure up theatre and drama without even trying! From progressive, deathly riffs to soaring operatic acrobatics, Svet Kant are true to themselves, and this is the formula that makes them so interesting and unorthodox.

The opening track, Three Faces is instantly ghosted by the ethereal and seraphic vocals of Santiago Kodela, and it’s not the kind of intro that is normally found in a metal album. However, this is Svet Kant folks, and when you’re basking in the throes of their hugely experimental philosophies, nothing is impossible. His voice soars and sings above the steady, semi-heavy riffs and laid-back drums. Once the story of the track gradually opens up, the vocals ascend even further, reaching these glorious astral highs, while the guitars chug and break through multi-tempoed passages, before eventually assaulting the senses with a flurry of high-speed thrash blasts, cleverly orchestrated with soprano like vocals and visceral screams. This track draws me back to my days of basking in Therion’s symphonic and orchestral arrangements, and how can you not mention the influence of Celtic Frost when discussing and comparing symphonic metal. To Mega Therion flashes in and out of this track at various stages, battling against the cutting riffs that slash through all the drama and suspense that’s on show.

Track number two on this EP, Conjured opens in a sweeping solo melody that must be influenced by the style and sounds of the mighty Opeth. Once again, clean vocals open the track, before getting savaged by some primal, untamed growls. The verbal conflict between good and evil clash and cannonade off one another, as the double bass kicks of Daragh Kenny act as ammunition for the hostilities, scattering rounds of firepower across the wastelands, while the guitars of Liam Molloy and Santiago aim their missiles to the sky, whipping up a vortex of fear and pandemonium right through to the very end of the track.

White Parlour lunges straight for the jugular, as a bass-soaked opening, courtesy of Paul Cassidy, instigates the onslaught to your eardrums. Power, precision and guttural screams play out the last act of this theatrical and hydrogen fuelled performance. Cosmic solos swell and spiral around those orchestral notes, as the music gathers tension and ferocity, all the time pinned back with Cynic like timing and texture. It all combusts in one final flurry, closing the door shut on an EP that has torpedoed you through time, and shaken your foundations with an array of metallic styles and forms. From a sophisticated night at the opera to a hyperpaced voyage through another dimension, this is metal that excites and stimulates the mind, never resting on its laurels, always progressing and developing into something new and compelling.

Dublin’s Svet Kant have been around since 2013 and you can hear all that experience and talent tunnelling through their unique blend of melody and mayhem. With a release date of 15-04-2022, this EP should be in everybody’s Bandcamp trolley! Enjoy.