Unholy Black Metal
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Reports
  • Interviews
  • Gallery
  • Contact

“Stridens hus” by Taake: a refreshment in the sound but still a trve masterpiece

7/12/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
The three years that as a rule elapse between Taake albums are now gone and the time of the new one has arrived. Stridens hus is the title of the new album by Taake, and, as usual, it contains seven songs that represent the seven mountains surrounding Bergen, hometown of Taake’s mastermind Hoest. Taake albums are always awaited in trepidation and one is continually wondering what Hoest will do next time. Well, this time Hoest continues on the path already undertaken with Noregs vaapen; on this album Hoest had begun to explore new sounds and new solutions, while remaining in the frame of his “helnorsk svartmetall”: an eloquent example is the banjo guitar solo in “Myr”. This is quite natural considering that Hoest is an eclectic musician involved in many projects, and who contributed to the debut album by Swedish Alfahanne (click here to read the review).

Like many Taake albums, Stridens hus 
also begins with a long guitar riff: it is the wonderful “Gamle Norig” (‘Old Norway’) that will catch you at once with its mid-tempo. It is a song in the style of Taake, but the second track “Orm” (‘Serpent’) has solos and arrangements influenced by rock'n roll or groove rock; this song also features a few choruses in clean vocals. The  first blastbeats on the album are to be found in “Det fins en Prins” (‘There Is a Prince’), the song that had already been premiered by Dark Essence Records. “Stank” (‘Stench’) is characterized by a punk sound. However you will also recognize Taake’s pure “helnosk svartmetall” although the sound has been refreshed with the above mentioned influences; the voice of Hoest is more low-pitched compared to the past. I also find that the mood of Hoest’s music seems to have become less obscure. This is most evident in the second half of the album. The almost instrumental “En sang til sand om ildebrann” is a real lucubration of Hoest. The last two songs, “Kongsgaard bestaar” and “Vinger”, lean towards black'n roll, but still, you will find the icy atmosphere typical of Taake and Norwegian black metal in general. 

In conclusion, Stridens hus refreshes Taake’s sound while remaining faithful to the trademark “helnorsk svartmetall”; it is an album full of variation and never repetitive or predictable. Above all, Hoest manages once again to deliver a new masterpiece even though perhaps this album has lost some of the explosive energy that has always been another trademark of Taake. In one word, Stridens hus is a masterpiece not to be missed.

Notes:
Stridens hus translates in Norwegian for ‘House of Struggle’. Release date: December 8, 2014 on Dark Essence Records.

Tracklist:
1. Gamle Norig
2. Orm
3. Det fins en prins
4. Stank
5. En sang til sand om ildebrann
6. Kongsgaard bestaar
7. Vinger


05:54
06:43
08:07
06:20
05:06
05:35
05:49
43:34
Personnel:
Hoest: vocals, all instruments.
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

Unholy Black Metal zine