Artist: Taake
Title: Noregs Vaapen
Type: Album
Label: Dark Essence

True Norwegian Black Metal, you best believe it, things do not get any truer than Taake and it was a pleasure to receive album number five just a day before going and catching the band on tour. This time round it is slightly more of a band on album too as Hoest has not quite done everything himself but invited his live band to contribute on some songs. There are also some guest artists popping up at times and it is a case of listen out through the course of the disc and see if you can hear them. There are some pretty major contributors too, Nocturno Culto, Atilla Csihar and Demonaz who really should need no band names in brackets after them and also Bjornar Nilsen (Vulture Industries) and Skagg (Gaahlskagg, Deathcult).

On first listen to the album it struck that there is loads going on, it is not a case of simplistic repetitive riffs and angry vocal rasps but an incredibly well defined sound with plenty of substance about it as well as a very in the face punchy production. As per usual there are essences of everything from folk to punk found amidst the torrent of sound flying angrily out the speakers. A windmill-laden guitar sound, taught and whiplashing, drives the pace of opener ‘Fra Vadestad til Vaanesmed,’ which batters away and lurches along, changing pace and direction but always retaining an epic flow and grandiose melody. Naturally everything is Norwegian by both song title and lyrics so what we are singing about is uncertain. This first song suddenly surprises with a strident mellotron line courtesy of the aforementioned Mr Nilsen, rising above the battering pace and there are other rather odd nuances that pervade things later on. ‘Nordbundet’ allows the pace to finally slow from the frantic pace of the first couple of numbers and it comes crawling along straight out the deepest darkest woods of The North Country complete with Attila lending sinister slithering croaks. Needless to say it speeds towards the second half but after the stalking there is always going to be the slashing!

There are moments you could well be at full flow and suddenly as on ‘Du Ville Ville Vestland’ drop into an acoustic passage and a rocking section reminiscent of escaping from a Blue Oyster Cult song and at others… well what the hell was in the water that was drunk before deciding to drop a burst of “white trash banjo” into ‘Myr’? It’s a moment of complete tripped out lunacy and shows a sense of humour amongst the seriousness of the rest of the album. Yes I almost did fall off my seat first listen. Once you get over these parts and a mad choir at one point you have some solid and inventive Norske Svart Metal which is as good as it gets. Backed up with an excellent show this has been a month where Taake have very much ruled the roost and this diverse album is certainly worth picking up.

http://www.myspace.com/taakeofficial

Pete Woods

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