KEEP OF KALESSIN - Reptilian

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\r\n  The fifth full-length album by Norwegian act\r\nKeep Of Kalessin is titled “Reptilian”.  Their\r\ntwo previous albums were an excellent example of epic/melodic black metal, my\r\npersonal favorite being “Kolossus”.  To\r\nbe honest, I think that this new release takes them further away from the rough\r\nblack metal paths.  Let’s take it from\r\nthe top.  \r\n

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\r\n  After a short intro, the album begins with\r\nthe impressive tune “Dragon Iconography”. \r\nOne can easily discern the tight production and rhythm section and a\r\nvery clean sound.  Perfect drumming and\r\nfast guitar riffing are joined by the trademark vocals of Thebon.  “The Awakening” follows in the same motif and\r\ndespite its length it manages to maintain interest due to the various guitar\r\nparts.  “Judgement” with the heavy\r\nriffing and the chorus vocals, tries to stand out without really succeeding.  However, it’s not even half as bad as “The\r\nDragontower” that follows.  Let me remind\r\nyou that this is the song that the Norwegians presented in their country’s\r\nEurovision Contest qualifying round! \r\nJudging by the fact that they were disqualified from the competition’s\r\nfinal round, I must assume that the judges didn’t lack good taste.  A lame pop song with no substance whatsoever,\r\nmakes you wonder at its failing to qualify since it has all the right ingredients\r\nto succeed in such an “institution”.  With\r\nthe aggressive black metal tune “Leaving The Mortal Flesh” and the nicely\r\narranged “Dark As Moonless Night” the situation is greatly improved.  “The Divine Land” features some of the best\r\nvocals Thebon has ever done for “Keep”.  Fast\r\nbeats yet again, epic-warlike atmosphere and clean vocals adding a dreamy\r\ntouch.  The album ends with the fourteen minute\r\nlong “Reptilian Majesty” which is just nice, without adding something to this\r\nrelease.\r\n

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\r\n  To sum up, I’m not really impressed by this new\r\nKeep Of Kalessin CD.  I believe they can\r\ndo much better since they are excellent musicians and Obsidian is a brilliant composer.  Surely the album contains some terrific\r\nmoments but as far as song writing goes, it’s inferior to its predecessors.  Pros:  Vyl’s\r\ndrumming, the clean -almost too clean- production and the vocals that stand\r\ntheir ground.  Cons:  The duration of some songs and most of all\r\nthe fact that they don’t seem to have the inspiration to create something that will\r\nendure through time.  They are a band\r\nthat -for a long time now- have crossed the black metal boundaries and I am\r\nsure they can write better music.  All\r\nthey have to do is use the means they have –both artistic and technical- to\r\ncreate quality content, not fancy wrappings.\r\n

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