Taake - Nattestid ser porten vid... (1999)Release ID: 2737
The debut full-length from Taake came at the arse-end of the second wave era of BM. By 1999 nobody was burning churches anymore, bands weren't killing each other's members and many stalwarts of the genre had already drifted to a more experimental sound. The success of 'Nattestid...' at first glance seems surprising, yet a couple of listens unearths an album built on a foundation of solid songwriting, supported by razor sharp steel riffage and decorated with a consistent theme permeated by some subtle yet lasting nuances to maintain its hellish Feng Shui.
For all the cold and scathing guitar here there's more than a fair share of melody, whether that is rooted in the viking style passages or just the more obvious folk leanings of the album. Whenever it is there, it seems effortlessly measured. It never takes the edge off the raw energy of the tremolo and nor does the cutting of the riffs blunt the impact of the more melodious elements. Throughout the album the bass and drums maintain a strong presence (especially on instrumental track, 'Vid IV ') and Hoest himself, shrieks and rasps along like some demented high priest undertaking some satanic and nefarious ritual. There is an edge to the guitar throughout more or less the entire record that sounds a little too hazy at times which I can only put down to the production job (yes I know it is a BM album, but nonetheless it remains my only gripe).
It is easy to see from the seven tracks on show here that Hoest's talent for accomplished and consummate songwriting was already well developed at this early stage of his career. Frostein's deft contributions on both drums and bass make these visions whole. Considering the two man line up it is an album that has a vastness in scope that belies the small number of contributors.
The menacing and creepy looking artwork on the album sums up the nightmarish soundscape inside perfectly. The minimal approach to the tracklisting earns kvlt/troo points by the bucket load.
Solid black metal release. Can't say I bob my head to b, often but this had me pumped up. A transitional album of the scene in my opinion. Had the classic style of blast beats and proper black metal vocal screams but with a proper mixing and a little extra production style not sounding like it was recorded with cheap equipment in someone's echoey basement. Not that's not also an enjoyable early style, this just felt more evolved. Cant say I've found anything earlier in the 90's that sounded this crisp and clear in this style. Very much a transition into a new era of black metal and one I'm very happy with. I see that this is a well regarded album, and have heard about it before but never really delved too into it, but glad I did here.
