Taake - Kong Vinter

Catalog ZDR 056
Format CD (Full-length)
Release July 1st, 2018
State Sold Out
- Track List -
1. Sverdets vei
2. Inntrenger
3. Huset i havet
4. Havet i huset
5. Jernhaand
6. Maanebrent
7. Fra Bjoergegrend mot glemselen

Bonus Track
8. On Top (De Press cover)
- Info -
Taake’s evolution into a more progressive version of itself has resulted in a duality, and Hoest has mastered both halves, just… separately. The black metal existence, as atmospheric as ever, perfectly captures the album’s cover image. Blistering, cold, and ethereal. The other 50% is this new, much more avant-garde approach to which Hoest has sort of adapted. These grooves and strange, slithering riffs echo the legendary Carl-Michael “Czral” Eide in bombast and clanging clarity. However, these two elements are extraordinarily separated, suffering from what I so lovingly call “‘Black Rose Immortal’ syndrome.” Much like the fabled Opeth song, Hoest simply hits a big chord, lets it ring out, then moves onward to something unrelated. It’s jarring, and seemingly thrown together. The elements found within Kong Vinter are undeniably good, great, even, but this oil vs water separation of Hoest’s two halves keeps the album from being his newest triumph.