Taake - Gravkamre, Kroner og Troner
When a band releases a collection of rare and unreleased tracks, I always fear the worst. You see, rare and unreleased tracks are rare and unreleased for a reason. They usually suck Godzilla’s giant mutant reptile penis. If they were any good, chances are that they would have been included on an album or something more widely available. Compilations of rare and unreleased tracks are a quick cash-in, much in the same way that demo represses are. Gravkamre, Kroner og Troner (“Grave, Crown and Throne,” if my Norwegian is accurate) is a two-CD compilation of some new stuff, cover songs (Emperor, Burzum, GG Allin), B-sides, bonus tracks, and live recordings. There’s a lot here, and thankfully most of it is worthwhile. The material on display covers quite a bit of ground. There are tracks like “Lamb,” which was from a vinyl-only tribute to Von, that are fast and primitive. Others cover the length and depth of Norse Black Metal, veering from being influenced stylistically by Emperor to Darkthrone to Mayhem to Burzum. The live tracks, which comprise the bulk of the second CD, have a different feeling to them. In a live setting, Taake channels Hellhammer/Celtic Frost like they were a tribute band. Hoest even uses Tom Warrior’s trademark grunts during the songs. If you’re a fan of Taake already, or you’re looking for something that gives you a good sampling of what this band sounds like, Gravkamre, Kroner og Troner is worth tracking down. Even though this is a “rare and unreleased” compilation, it still is representative enough of the band’s sound for a new listener to get a good idea of what Taake is all about.
(0) Comment(s)
Page 1 of 1 pages