1996 saw the release of the debut album from this young norwegian quintet. "Progressing" from a somewhat raw feel on their demo, this release leans more towards a heavy/brutal sound, with sparse synths used in a few songs wisely to add atmosphere, while not choking out the driving riffs. Most of the tracks begin with a crushing intro before the blast beats kick in, which further lead into short spurts of mid-paced fury and brief melodic parts.

The riffs are generally 'evil' sounding and sometimes depressing (track 7, which is mainly slow-paced). The drumming is tight and the cymbals are mixed well to avoid that annoying 'ching-ching' sound. The vocals are low-pitched and extremely unobtrusive, again letting the riffs drive the songs.

A few minutes after the last track ends, we get a really weird 'hidden' track (which is indexed on the packaging) that is good for a laugh.

Good production coupled with raw undertones make this release stand out among other bands who take this heavy approach (Marduk, Setherial, etc...). So, while not really original this is definitely a good release.

For their next album Keep of Kalessin has moved on to a more brutal sound, mixing in death and thrash elements, so be cautious when buying either album; they vary.

© 2001 nivende