Year: 2023
Total Time: 42.14
Label: Dark Essence Records
It’s cold here, it’s foggy, it has eerie landscapes! it has vocals coming out here straight from the grave. It has riffs that shave and scrape flesh. This is Bergen, Norway and TAAKE!
TAAKE and “Et Hav av Avstand” is just what you need for a cold winter night since here we are dealing with an album that fits perfectly with these conditions. Here you will not find a well-polished production. You will not listen to the modern “trendy” Black Metal played by the bands-leaders of the genre. You will not confront orchestrations with choirs, violins or cellos. It’s cold here, it’s foggy, it has eerie landscapes! it has vocals coming out straight from the grave. It has riffs that shave and scrape flesh. This is Bergen, Norway and TAAKE!
“Et Hav Av Avstand” is not an old fashioned release that simply copies another era. It’s creator steps with one foot in the old days while the other foot is here, in the present, both perfectly combined. Once again, Hoest (a.k.a. Ørjan Stedjeberg) plays all the instruments on the album, while also is doing the vocals, effectively being the sole member of the band. The Norwegian has done such a work that reminds me of the golden period of the 90’s. Four are the songs that fill the 42 minutes of total duration of the album.
The album starts with the song “Denne Forblaaste Ruin Av En Bro” including several prog elements that fit perfectly with the Black character of the Norwegians, without altering the atmosphere that spreads from the very first minutes of the album. Then “Utarmede Gruver” comes in and things get even colder and definitely darker! Familiar field of action for TAAKE with a more old school style. The same happens in the third song “Gid Sprakk Vi”. The album closes with the 13-minute epic “Et Uhyre Av En Kniv” that goes through almost the entire spectrum of the Black Metal scene. You will travel with it ending up in a white and frozen landscape, which is a trademark of Hoest’s hometown, the enchanting Bergen.
Summing up, my opinion is that such albums should have a place in our record collection. They are not only addressed to the loyal fans of the scene but generally to every person who loves the Metal scene.
Rating: 8/10
Editor: Andreas Fytros
Related Link: TAAKE – Facebook Page
