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Released on December 8, 2014 via Dark Essence Records
Classic Norwegian black metal. In four words, that’s how I would describe Taake‘s latest Stridens Hus, or for that matter, their entire back catalogue. Taake have been one of the most, if not the most, consistent artists writing and performing “true” Norwegian black metal. I know the “true” tag is bit passé, but with all the bands that are currently claiming or being lumped in with black metal, it seem only right to take a step back in time and reclaim “true” not merely as a descriptor that was used in the past by less qualified artists to sell more albums, but here are a statement of sound, intent, and most importantly, quality.
The first time I heard Taake was back in 2002, shortly after the release of their Over Bjoergvin Graater Himmerik album. My buddy came over with his latest mail order haul that had just come in. First on the playlist of new albums was Taake’s ’99 debut full-length and instantly gave me that “black metal feeling”, you know the one, that sensation after first hearing whatever black metal album that first made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. I remember my first time; it was Darkthrone’s Transylvanian Hunger in the Fall of ’95. That “black metal feeling” was so profound on those earlier genre releases that it’s something I have continued searching for to this day. Upon its conclusion, we immediately threw on Over Bjoergvin Graater Himmerik and were pleased to find that the “feeling” was still there. What we didn’t expect was the bizarro “twaaanggggg” of the mouthharp on ‘Part III’. To this day, I refer to that album as the one with the “twaaanggggg”.
With the inclusion of mouth harp, the album did solidify the concept that Taake were a black metal force playing by their own rules. Taake’s follow up records haven’t included anything as surprisingly unorthodox as the aforementioned mouth harp, but they have been consistently, jawdroppingly damn good albums.
Stridens Hus was written and performed solely by Hoest, with a few guest appearances from Taake’s live incarnation, which makes the album that much more impressive. It sounds like a dark lurid incantation to the black metal gods. The stunning opener ‘Gamle Norig’ mixes the directness of classic Darkthrone with the more melodic broad stroked, epic-ness of Ulver’s Bergtatt, which is kind of a template for Taake.
‘Orm’ is a mid-paced rocker with a cool, fuzzed out lead guitar that wouldn’t sound out of place on a rock and blues song, and strangely works just as well here. Hoest’s acid-soaked vocals are chill inducing and are juxtaposed by sporadic and brief, monk-like chants that elevate the songs into black metal brilliance. ‘Det fins en Prins’ jackknifes between grim rock and epic extravagance with ease, the mix of the grim with the melodic is the secret to Taake’s audio manifestations.
The instrumental ‘En Sang til Sand om IIdebrann’ is a bit of an anomaly on Stridens Hus as it devolves from cool, tremolo picked riffs at around the halfway point, into prog-like structures. The bouncy “happy” riff at the 3:10 mark makes me scratch my head every time. For some reason, that single riff rubs me the wrong way. Fortunately, it’s a minor and brief infraction to my ears. I can’t help but think that Hoest’s vocals over top of this track would have alleviated my “issues” with that single riff. ‘Kongsgaard bestaar’ and ‘Vinger’ close out the album in grand fashion. It would be safe to say that with everything Hoest writes and records, he gives it that Midas touch, it turns to gold, and Stridens Hus is no exception.
