_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/f3!/// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Slegest ::\ :: Album :: L°yndom :: :: Year :: 2013 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CDDA . :: :: Label :: Dark Essence R.date :: 25.10.2013 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: KAR074 Size :: 64,0 MB __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 255kbps : . . Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo . . . Website :: http://www.slegest.no/ __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 01. Ho Som Haustar Aleine 04:36 :: :: 02. Rooted in Knowledge 03:58 :: :: 03. I Slike Stunder 05:00 :: :: 04. L°gna Sin Fiende 03:50 :: :: 05. The Path of No Return 04:51 :: :: 06. Faceless Queen 04:52 :: :: 07. Dirt Life Death 03:36 :: :: 08. Past Burden Strenght 04:16 :: :: ------- :: .. >> 34:59 min .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: I typically associate the Norwegian style of black metal :: :: with either the raw aggression of say Gorgoroth, Carpathian :: :: Forest or Taake or the more classic atmospheric beauty of :: :: Burzum or Ulver. One of my favorite movie depictions of :: :: this very dedicated brand of black metal is that goose-bump :: :: moment in Until the Light Takes Us when Fenriz is sitting :: :: on the train and Ulver's "Not Saved" starts playingà :: :: atmosphere as thick as mist you can't help re-playing that :: :: moment over and over. So when did this very somber brand of :: :: metal, so dedicated to opposition, start to follow the :: :: crowd and take on such a dirty, ear-friendly, catchy :: :: groove? :: :: :: :: Intrigued by rumblings of an EP release during 2012 and the :: :: 'early Black Sabbath inspired, groovy black metal' label :: :: that Dark Essence or Karisma Records pinned to Slegest. AND :: :: making the discovery that that Slegest is (or at least :: :: until very recently was) the solo project of ex-Vreid :: :: guitarist Ese (yup he was indeed the man behind the black :: :: 'n roll riffing on Vreid's Kraft, Pitch Black Brigade, I :: :: Krig and Milorg albums). I attacked L°yndom (or Secret) :: :: with gusto and maybe even just a bit of hopeful delight :: :: that this would be the Welcome Farewell that Vreid :: :: promised. :: :: :: :: L°yndom is made up of eight tracks which I find a little :: :: ironic being that the overall sound of the album reminds me :: :: of something left over from the late 70's early 80's, :: :: bringing to mind the tail end of the eight-track tape era. :: :: "Ho Som Haustar Aleine," "Rooted In Knowledge" and "I Slike :: :: Stunder" kick off sounding like they'd fit in reasonably :: :: well on a Sabbath tribute album. The tracks are mid-paced :: :: in the same vein as Khold's "Blod Og Blek" and have the :: :: same devil-may-care, rocking repetition of some of Sarke's :: :: offerings. What throws things largely off kilter with this :: :: Sabbath/Tony Iommi-homage is that barring an abundance of :: :: fat, chugging, nicely buzzing repetitive riffs, Ese's :: :: guitar solos lack color and prominence. The pace picks up :: :: around the mid point and tracks "L°gna Sin Fiende," :: :: "Faceless Queen," "Dirt Life Death" and "Past Burden :: :: Strength" taunt and tease you not to bang your head. :: :: :: :: For the most part, L°yndom is a fun listen, it's the kind :: :: of album I'd throw on at full volume while taking to the :: :: open road. That said, I have some gripes, first things :: :: first, while Ese has some neat and simply structured guitar :: :: solos scattered across the album ("I Slike Stunder", "L°gna :: :: Sin Fiende" and "The Path Of No Return" being my :: :: favorites), these mournful interludes are so pulled back in :: :: the mix that unless you're sitting holding your breath :: :: waiting for them, blink and you'll miss them. This brings :: :: me to my second gripe: because these moments (that should :: :: stand out and orientate you) are so fleeting and easily :: :: missed combined with the repetative riffing, the eight :: :: songs eventually start to sound so alike that it's :: :: difficult to separate the current track from the one that :: :: precedes it û each quite literally merge and meld into one :: :: another, making them largely unmemorable. :: :: :: :: The production on the album is probably best described as a :: :: mixed bag. The drums and guitar riffs are nicely placed and :: :: have just the right amount of fuzz to remain true to :: :: Sabbath's sound. The guitar solos spend most of their short :: :: lives haunting like melancholic ghosts in the background :: :: and Ese's gruff croaks are too far back and are rarely (if :: :: ever) given the focus they so sorely deserve. Apart from :: :: playing all the instruments on L°yndom (outside of a guest :: :: solo by former band mate, Sture), Ese recorded and mixed :: :: most of the album at his Systrond Studio, with the :: :: remainder taking shape at Conclave and Earshot Studio with :: :: Bj°rnar Nilsen (Helheim and Taake) at the helm. Finally the :: :: album was mastered by Herbrand Larsen (Enslaved, Gorgoroth :: :: and Taake). And seeing how many sets of hands this album :: :: passed through, and the combined experience across all :: :: L°yndom's handlers û how did it go wrong? :: :: :: :: As is the nature of life, all things change and evolve. Why :: :: should Norway's black metal be exempt. And further, why :: :: would you want it to be? I had high hopes for L°yndom, but :: :: it seems it's following on in Vreid's footsteps, less :: :: welcome and more farewell. If you're a fan of :: :: predictability, this ones for you! :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2013 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :