Keep of Kalessin is one of those bands that I’d been reading about for years but it seemed like everything they did came under a mediocre black metal category and I never bothered to check the band out. That changed when the band released Armada in 2006. It saw the band still playing black metal but almost desperately trying to claw their way out of the genre pigeonholing. It was melodic, epic and had its roots in the black metal genre but the band seemed willing to experiment with influences outside of the normal black metal scene.

I had a good deal of hope for Kolossus and I have to say this album will probably end up on my top 10 for this year.

The album starts with the layered guitar instrumental intro of Origin which seems more Spanish than Norwegian and from here it’s a dizzying ride through some awesome technical guitar playing that’s groovy and melodic at the same time and a truly pummeling performance behind the drum kit. First proper song A New Empire’s Birth sets the scene for what’s to follow. A jagged thrash groove starts proceedings before pummeling you with blast beats and an all round melodic black metal assault that’s epic in nature and feel and not in length. Against the Gods is a furious storm that brings to mind Emperor’s last two albums colliding head on with sound of Armada. There are some terrific grooves here but again it’s the drummer who propels this song along. Warmonger has a vocal line that reminds me a bit of early Soilwork and might anger the purists but it’s a great song. Mark of Power is mostly mid paced and melodic but dark enough to sound pretty damn powerful and catchy enough for that title refrain to stick in your head. Title song Kolossus is another monster. It’s melodic and harsh at the same time and probably the best song on the album although my personal favourite is changing with every listen.

I suppose a comparison to the last two Emperor albums is valid but at the same time, there’s enough of the band’s individual identity on Kolossus to lift this album high above being merely an Emperor clone.

The band is in fantastic form through the fifty five minutes of this album. Guitarist/ keyboard player and chief song writer Obsidian Claw is quite terrific in all three departments while Thebon gives a truly outstanding performance with his vocals channeling the spirit of Lemmy and Ihsahn in equal measure while coming across as quite original and very articulate. The drumming occasionally threatens to overpower the songs but Vyl reins himself in so it’s always only a threat.

The band excels at incorporating harsh black metal bits and groovy death thrash riffs into the melodic extreme metal framework. The occasional acoustic guitar moment does wonders for the atmosphere and the lead guitar parts are quite impressive. The best part though is that the band uses these elements to write some terrific songs. Kolossus always comes across as a focused singular piece of work where all the elements fit in superbly. This is a bad that’s getting to the top of its game and deserves a listen.



Label - Indie Records/ Nuclear Blast
Year of Release - 2008