Keep Of Kalessin - Armada

From another team of Norsemen who think that the metal world circles around them, at least with this being their 5th release and deemed in their bio to “be a huge epic masterpiece which will be a massive blow to the worldwide metal scene.” with “….every song on the album is said to bring goosebumps from top to toe!”, I expected better. So someone please tell me what can this reviewer do then when he knows much better in the metal world?
I mean I would expect such words on a record label’s website but this being taken directly from the band’s website as if being a challenge to the whole metal world, then sorry if I do not the goosebumps, then I simply do not get them.

Simply put, what is so special about this album?
1. Great riffs? Of course they are, but nothing more than many others in the scene and leeching off each other at their best.
2. Fast drumming? Yeah sure, reminds me when US death metal was getting big and everyone tried to be faster than his buddy at the cost of missing out on more creative rhythms to the songs – unfortunately some black metal bands are falling to the same trick nowadays, and KoK are no exception.
3. The guitarist and main composer? Ah yeah, he is the session live player for SATYRICON, a position I suggest him to try to savour as full-time if given the opportunity! Or alternatively start writing stuff in the vein of the awesome acoustic music that kicks off halfway through the track “The Black Uncharted”.
4. The production? A good one, yet personally I think a grimer & colder black metal sound would have given the album better credit than this sadly everincreasing “new wave of Swedish death metal” sound.
5. Last but not least - the songs? They all sound the same, and I think using the best riffs here would have resulted as 1 EP with better impact, than this sorry to once again say, a full length that is trying hard to be out there with the best, yet failing miserably, very miserably.
Notwithstandingly, I am to assume that there are many kids out there who would nevertheless prefer to check this out, so to all those I suggest to go ahead, it is always better to waste your cash this way rather than buying a bible.

1. Surface
2. Crown of the Kings
3. The Black Uncharted
4. Vengeance Rising
5. Many are We
6. Winged Watcher
7. Into the Fire
8. Deluge
9. The Wealth of Darkness
10. Armada


Tabu Recordings
Reviewer: necrogool
Feb 26, 2009

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