Search - Keep of Kalessin :: Through Times of War

A majestic (and sadly underrated) album

C. Garces | 11/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those who didn't know, Keep of Kalessin is a Black Metal band from Trondheim, Norway, who deserved more attention than they got (aside from being signed to Avant Garde, a great record label), especially since they, unfortunately enough, parted ways this year.The band gets part of their name from an ancient dragon of European mythology by the name of Kalessin, and the music holds vague inspiration from Satyricon (especially since this album may remind some of "Nemesis Divina") and Emperor while also managing to hold it's own in an epic, slightly experimental way.Most of the songs here on "Through Times of War" are about legends and war, all of which feature songwriting that is very good (with blasphemy and satanism, which are becoming too trendy, being almost non-existent, despite what the other guy says), starting off with the crashing intro chords and percussion of the title track that sound like a call to war. From there on, you know you're in for a dark, chaotic ride on the wings of a dragon. "Den Siste Krig" carries you one step further into the fantasy soundscape, with a seamless team-up of blast beats and guitars and haunting, deeply-growled vocals (with a simple but great lead guitar occuring at the same time).There are plenty more shining moments on the album, too, with the atmospheric melodies of "As a Shadow Cast", the flowing lead guitars and excellent solo on "I Choose to Suffer", the chaotic-as-hell "Obliterator" (the most intense song on the album), and the epic, melodic pieces of "Skygger av Sorg" and "Nectarious Red" (which also sports great dual-lead guitar work near the end). After the seven-minute closing track, there's a hidden one that starts on 9:17 which is rather weird: It is titled "Itch", and has an eerie acustic lead guitar and bassline along with a cool rhythm guitar. The vocals start out whispering, "Scratching on your skin - Burning itch from deep within" (almost as if it were just a jam session) and build up into a scream that sound as if Ghash (the vocalist) is literally ripping out his own throat. If it has any tie-ins with a story woven into the album, I'd say that it represents a scene where a character has broken a curse upon himself and is screaming in great agony as he's being transformed into a dragon by it, starting by pain striking at his flesh.As for the musicians: Ghash can get pretty hateful and rapture-ish with his vocals. Obsidian C.'s guitar work is very technical and sometimes complex in places, providing for an aggressive blend of rhythm and melodic lead guitars. Although his keyboard work is pretty standard, it still creates a seamless atmosphere with the other instruments (good examples are "As a Shadow Cast" and "Skygger av Sorg"). Vyl, the drummer, can definitely compete with the likes of Frost with his aggressive performance, and Warach, although he became more of a session musician before the band's breakup and has pretty standard bass which mostly supports the rhythm guitar, he has some nice basslines.The production is very good. Clean, clear, heavy, and very destructive. Nearly all instruments are in the mix (although, in a similar error to "Nemesis Divina", the cymbals are sometimes louder than the drums. Thankfully, that's a rarity). The vastness of the sound appears to stretch in a mostly vertical form without making anything thin. I would also recommend listening to it on a large stereo to convince you that the instruments aren't tiny like they may sound when listening to it on a headset for the first time.If there's a flaw on this album, it would be the absence of lyrics. Why does a band decide not to include that stuff on an album when we want to know what the songs are about? If you ask me, it really detracts from the depth of the music. You get over it, though, because you can tell that the lyrics must be good just by listening.Overall, despite their departure, Keep of Kalessin's "Through Times of War" is an epic work in Black Metal that must be heard by all fans of the genre who are looking for something in the vein of medieval Satyricon (though their more modernized stuff is good, too) as well as a breath of fantasy in the music's boundaries. Other bands worth checking out that are almost just as underrated are Opera IX, Ancient Wisdom, Taake, and Diabolical Masquerade (all of which were labelmates with the band).Also, take a look and the band's webpage at ... to hear what will be happening with the band members."

Excellent Black metal

C. Garces | Plantation, Florida United States | 09/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Keep of Kalessin is a black metal band from Norway that are no longer together (I dont know if they have reformed). This is their debut album and its truly amazing. Its very fast, and has dark and cold riffs, you listen to songs like "As a Shadow Cast" and the title track, "Through Times of War"and you immediatly recognize this as Norweigian style black metal...The whole album is very solid, the vocals are truly Satanic and just the whole vibe is dark and depressing. I would recomend this album to anyone who liked Dimmu Borgir's first albums...Its interesting how they incorporte keyboards in dark and melodic moods that contrast with the growling vocals..a true gem...."