"Position | Momentum" is the second full-length album from the London-based black metal/hardcore band, CALLIGRAM. The two singles that preceded the album are "Ex-Sistere" and "Frantumi In Itinere." The album was released on July 14, 2023, on Prosthetic Records. It is worth noting that all of the album's vocals are sung in Matteo Rizzardo's native Italian. Their powerful debut album was full of musical ideas, whereas "Position | Momentum" is a more focused, more streamlined effort. The album opener, "Sul Dolore," begins with a sharp inhale before exploding into a torrent of black metal fury. Rizzardo's impressive vocals are the star of the show. His blackened rasps merge from screams to spoken words, to demonic hisses across the entirety of this track. The entire album occupies the fine line between hopeless melancholy and intense rage. This first track toes that line well.

The following track, the single, "Frantumi In Itinere," keeps up the bombastic intensity with razor-sharp black metal rasps and all-out instrumental fury. Their use of hardcore shouted vocals and sonic flavors proves that they have progressed far beyond mere second-wave black metal tropes into a realm all their own. At times, the vocal layering in this track and on the album can get overly chaotic, which is both a boon as well as a distraction. The shouted clean vocals get easily overpowered by the louder, more urgent raspy screams. The tortured demonic wailing at the song's end is truly captivating. "Per Jamie" is the only instrumental track on the album. This sweet, somber tune leans to the atmospheric side with horns and keyboards thrown into the mix. At two minutes and twenty-three seconds, it is long enough to escape filler territory, yet short enough to not overstay its welcome. The following track, "Ostranenie," continues the sadness of "Per Jamie" for a few bars before unleashing a full-force blast of black metal. The way that CALLIGRAM uses dour melodies that make way for boisterous blast beats and relentless tremolos is predictable in the best way. You know the floodgates are about to open, and when they do, the payoff is tremendous. Midway through the song is a laugh that reminds me of PINK FLOYD's "Brain Damage" which precedes a pleasant horn interlude. The track then slows to a crawl, building anticipation before assaulting you with another burst of feral black metal.

The epic final track, "Seminario Dieci," begins with a slow guitar melody before slowly adding in keyboards, drums, and finally vocals. This one is heavier on the sad, slow side with only two full-force black metal outbursts. The chaotic vocal layering is at its most problematic during the final phase of this track, but that remains my only complaint across the album's forty-minute duration. With "Position | Melody," CALLIGRAM has started to come into its own. This second effort is much better than their impressive debut offering and is a mandatory listen for black metal fans with a penchant for crescendos and hardcore energy. I look forward to hearing what is next in store for this refreshing, yet relentlessly punishing black metal band.