Khlyst, being comprised of James Plotkin (formerly of Khanate and involved in a multitude of other projects) and Runhild Gammelsaeter (formerly of Thorr's Hammer), could easily be expected to produce some of the most unsettling music out there. But Chaos is My Name is almost too avant-garde for its own good.
Chaos is My Name has an ebb and flow to it: alternating between tracks of Gammelsaeter's demented shrieks accompanied by free-form, almost pain-inducing, guitar shredding and tracks of eerie ambient soundscapes. Not to discredit either member, but I think the album would be better if it left out the random bursts of guitar and focused on the ambient bits, which are, after all, some of the creepiest sounds that were committed to tape last year.
Even though I like at least 90% of what Hydra Head releases, I'm still starting to get the impression that the head honchos have realized they can put out just about anything and people will eat it up just because of its association with Hydra Head. Again, I'm not saying this is a bad album. It has its own unique sound and it definitely accomplishes the task of sending shivers up the spine, which I am sure was intended. Yet, I think it has some flab that drags it down a little.
The album is split into eight tracks numbered with Roman numerals and it was definitely intended to be listened to as one cohesive piece of music. Overall, it's about 80% quality ambient soundscape and 20% filler, mostly because those high-pitched squeals are almost unlistenable. But this is a must-own album if you're into James Plotkin in any form. All in all, I see a lot of potential based on Chaos is My Name and I hope to see more material in the future from this recording project.
