Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Kvist - For kunsten maa vi evig vike (1996)

Adding the word "melodic" to any particular genre of metal does not necessarily mean that it is a safe or somehow diluted version of what is more commonly recognised as being extreme.  There's certainly still plenty of bite to Kvist's only full length release from their brief time together that lasted just four years in the end. Whilst deploying keyboards the band stayed true to the cold barbarity of black metal, displaying similarities with many other bands of the same period such as Satyricon and Emperor.

What they were brilliant at was leaving a stamp of their authority on all six tracks on For kunsten maa vi evig vike.  Whether it was the burrowing and parasitic guitar work of Hallvard Wennersberg Hagen or the superbly forbidding and wretched vocals of Tom Hagen, all of the tracks stay with you in some way shape or form.  The atmospheric soundtrack of the keys adds a macabre and morbid aesthetic to proceedings really well and contributes to the flow of the album superbly.

From time to time, the pace drops into an almost black 'n roll stomp whilst the album also is not afraid to stay in almost ethereal paced realms on other occasions.  The signature bleakness of black metal is constant throughout but even for it's time the record has a more modern feel to it and one of the great regrets for me is that the band split up after such a short period of time and after only one very promising record.  Quite what we would have been treated on subsequent releases is left only to the imagination sadly.

Treated in isolation, as it has to be, For kunsten maa vi evig vike retains the authenticity of black metal and develops some very enticing and exploratory branches (the violin during Svartedal for example is a real treat) during just under forty minutes of running time.  Whether by design or not the drum sound alone sounds unique to me making sterile and claustrophobic rhythms whilst complimenting the more racing passages also.  The production job is sufficiently murky enough to provide a live feel to the album even when the more melodic and/or acoustic elements are centre stage.