Here we have a 10 hymn, 50 minute blast of savage
black metal technicality called "Armada"! Keep
of Kalessin return with their first full-length in about 7 years ("Reclaim"
EP was 2003) and have obviously, progressed quite a bit. Not in a disappointing
way, but the Keep have sorta traded the fundamental black approach for a
more professional one. What do I mean? The sound is extremely polished,
the newer vocal harmonies seem to branch off more from the guitar riffs,
the fast-pace is more thrash-like than black metal, and the songs don't
really feed off each other like with the "Agnen" album. They each
serve their own single purpose and yet, the album seems very conceptual
based on the artwork and the lyrics inside the jewel case. OK... back to
the sound. The drumming caught my attention immediately. Vyls' stickwork
left me thinking of a guy by the shorter, alias name of Hellhammer. It so
much sounds like the last couple of Mayhem releases! Mostly with the hyper-fast
double kicks, but also quite noticeable are the amazing combo-chorus-like
fills between the various acoustic / electric guitar breaks. Which now brings
me to the guitars. The bass guitar has a very trebly sound, which creates
an acoustic-like atmosphere and helps carry the electric / acoustic guitar
on the album. Obsidian still retains the blackened guitar sound from the
first two albums, which also is trebly, but his fast picking is way faster
and he mutes the strings a lot more. In fact, aside from a more dynamic
vocal range, this album would have been a more suitable tangent for Dissection’s
last stand. With the vocals ranging, basically, from black metal to power
metal, Armada lacks almost nothing in the way of diversity. They serve as
an emotional psychosis for the album’s aura, which is majestic and
also chaotic. I enjoy the album as a whole, but a few tracks that have stuck
in my head are "Winged Watcher" and "The Black Unchartered".
If you've never heard of these guys and want something fresh in the black
metal vein, I am highly recommending Keep Of Kalessin! For everyone else
that are familiar with them, it may or may not take a few listens- but you'll
enjoy this...
Rating: 90
Reviewed By: Thomas Mitchell |
