Review by Ben for Kvist - For kunsten maa vi evig vike (1996)
A fantastic underground black metal album that deserves its cult following!
I generally like to kick my album reviews off by giving some insight into the background of its creators, as well as trying to place the album in question into some sort of historical context. In this case, that’s awfully difficult, as not only did Kvist only produce this one album before calling it a day, but there really isn’t much floating around the internet that would give us any sort of back story, let alone a reason for their demise. I can tell you that Kvist is the Norwegian word for “twig”, and I can also tell you that guitarist Trondr Nefas would go on to perform in numerous other bands such as Urgehal, Beastcraft and In Lingua Mortua. Other than that, information on these Norwegians is extremely sparse indeed, which is strange considering how treasured For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike is amongst black metal fans. Kvist came from nowhere to unleash this underground gem before disappearing from the scene completely. It’s a shame that so many are unaware of its existence at all, but sites like Rate Your Music will undoubtedly assist in preventing this twig from becoming lost amongst a growing forest of lesser works.
To give you an idea of Kvist’s music, I guess the best comparison is Satyricon, particularly their awesome Nemesis Divina album. The riffs have the same epic, majestic feel to them and contain similar tremolo driven melodies. Tom Hagen’s vocals also remind me of Satyr yet he doesn’t have the same range, appearing limited to a monotone yet effective low end snarl. Drummer Endre Bjotveit cannot be put in the same class as Frost, yet his performance here is flawless if not particularly varied. If I had to pick another band that Kvist bring to mind it would be Hungary’s Sear Bliss (without the brass instrumentation), yet that might not be a useful comparison for the majority of readers considering their underground status. Bearing in mind For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike was released in the same year as Nemesis Divina and well before Sear Bliss hit their straps, it’s safe to say that Kvist were no mere clone, and while this album didn’t make an immediate impact upon arrival, it has certainly gathered a large gathering of fans over time. I’m certain that this grapevine effect will continue as this release has a lot to offer.
The album has a particularly cool and evil sound with wonderfully crunchy drums, audible attention-grabbing bass lines, catchy yet cold riffs and melodies, all topped off with Tom’s snarls. Keyboards are also used to good effect, adding to the sound without overwhelming it or drawing attention to itself. It’s a nice production that balances that raw tone that black metal thrives within while giving every aspect plenty of clarity and room to breathe. One thing to mention above all else is that opener Ars Manifestia seriously kicks ass! The rest of the album is nothing short of excellent, but this track is head and shoulders above it all. If Kvist had managed to produce 6 tracks as good as this one, then I’d have no hesitation in giving For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike full marks. As it is, the album probably lacks the variation needed to push it into the highest echelon of black metal releases, but tracks such as Ars Manifesta, Min Lekam Er Meg Blott En Byrde and Vettenetter certainly make it one you’ll want to track down. The recent Peaceville reissue should help you do just that!