Taake (Norway) / Helheim (Norway): “Henholdsvis”

Henholdsvis is the third installment of a trilogy of splits that Taake has forged by collaborating with Norwegian bands: in 2020 Jaertegn with Deathcult and Pakt with Whoredom Rife (we talked about them in these pages, look for them if you want to hear them); now Henholdsvis with label mates Helheim. I must say that, having been disappointed with the previous two, I did not have high expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. The two Taake tracks, “Brotne Bein og Mannefall” and “Ein Baat I Foss”, with lyrics from the old Norwegian writer Arne Garborg, are by far the best they have produced in the three splits. It seems that Hoest has regained something of the old musical vein; far from being as exciting as hymn like “Nattestid” and “Hordalands Doedskvad”, the two new songs are not bad at all. Helheim's contribution is not original but very interesting; it is two splendid covers,  Taake’s “Orkan” and  Emperor’s “Heksesabbat / Witches Sabbath” revisited in the experimental style of Helheim. “Heksesabbat” had however already been released on the tribute album “A Tribute to Emperor – In Honour of Icon E” from 2012 (now remastered).
All in all, this is a good and enjoyable split; if you are a fan of these two bands, you have to give them a listen.
 
Notes:
Henholdsvis was released on March 19, 2021 via Dark Essence Records.
 
Personnel:
Taake
Hoest: All instruments, Vocals
Helheim
Hrymr: Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Piano, Programming, Guitars (acoustic), Mouth harp, Vocals (choirs)
V'gandr: Vocals, Bass
H'grimnir: Vocals, Guitars (rhythm)
Reichborn: Guitars (lead), Bass
 
Text by Herjann
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