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Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
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Author:  henkkjelle [ Sat Jun 17, 2023 8:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
https://bravewords.com/news/taake-to-re ... shed-today

Et Hav av Avstand is the eigth full-length studio album from the legendary Norwegian black metal band, Taake. It consists of four songs clocking in at 42 minutes, displaying some of the finest songwriting yet from this epic one-man band. Fierce, but melancholy. Vigorously old-school but also progressive. retaining that unfiltered sense of unique rawness that is synonymous with Hoest’s charismatic sound and musical identity.

Four songs, 42 minutes. We're getting longform Taake.

First song:



Sounding far more inspired than Kong vinter. I think the long break did him good!
Author:  Raven_Augustus [ Sat Jun 17, 2023 9:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
This is the first Taake album that does not have 7 tracks, and it's the first one (as far as I know) that break the 3 year gap between albums.

The song itself is great. Especially the first half. It has some truly epic and even emotional guitar parts. And yeah, I don't think Stridens Hus (2014) and Kong Vinter (2017) were that great, they seemed very half-baked. I hope this longer time span has made more solid songs.
Author:  Chaosmonger [ Sat Jun 17, 2023 9:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
"legendary?" I mean they're good but cmon, taake it eaasy
Author:  kazhard [ Sat Jun 17, 2023 10:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Chaosmonger wrote:
"legendary?" I mean they're good but cmon, taake it eaasy


Taake it easy, like in Taake? Ha! Someone’s got jokes!
Author:  kovner1972 [ Sat Jun 17, 2023 11:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Yeah, legendary, no less. Give me some more exaggeration. Has he finally got the funds to purchase a pair of trousers without a hole in the crotch area?
Author:  cultofkraken [ Sun Jun 18, 2023 4:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Sounds great. I kinda lost track after the self titled. Will have to pick up Noreg Vaapens et Al to catch up.
Author:  FLIPPITYFLOOP [ Mon Jun 19, 2023 11:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Another upload of the song since the original one is for some reason unavailable:



I was curious if someone was going to make a thread about this. Taake's a band that was a MASSIVE influence on my early riff writing and one of my first favourite black metal bands, but the last couple records lost me big time. I think Hoest was getting really enamored with weird experimentation that he was starting to focus on that and his actual black metal writing started to suffer. It's like a symphonic metal or folk metal band that dumbs down their metal writing for the sole purpose of propping up the synths or flute melodies. Except Hoest got more occupied with a clean surf rock solo overtop a boring chord progression, or putting some 'out there' instrument into the mix for a cheap thrill.

Don't get me wrong, Noregs Vaapen is a great record and the banjo solo in Myr absolutely fucks, but as great as that album is, it doesn't hold a candle to the first 3 records which - to me - are nearly untouchable. And yet, aside from the mouth harp in Bjoergvin III, I can't recall any weird experimentation he did aside from thinking outside the box with his actual black metal riff writing and arrangements. Stridens Hus was largely forgettable for this reason, and while I've hardly visited Kong Vinter, in the times I did it just went in one ear and out the other - even if he was trying to go back to a straight black metal approach (was he? I don't even remember). TL;DR - Hoest lost sight of what made his music fucking amazing in the first place. It's like he's putting a turd on a cone, putting sprinkles on it and calling it ice cream.

I'm cautiously optimistic about this record though. It's breaking many of his molds it seems, with less tracks, longer tracks, and I hope the longer break between albums served him well. Who knows, maybe he'll do what Drudkh did last year and put out his best album in over a decade. We'll see. This new song seems pretty good at least; more passion in the atmosphere than I remember. I do think it's a weird pick as a single, considering how the last few minutes is clearly meant to be an ambient outro to the whole record, but maybe it'll sound better in the context of the whole album anyway.
Author:  Metal Shark [ Tue Jun 20, 2023 12:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
kovner1972 wrote:
Yeah, legendary, no less. Give me some more exaggeration. Has he finally got the funds to purchase a pair of trousers without a hole in the crotch area?

:lol:
Author:  kovner1972 [ Tue Jun 20, 2023 5:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Metal Shark wrote:
kovner1972 wrote:
Yeah, legendary, no less. Give me some more exaggeration. Has he finally got the funds to purchase a pair of trousers without a hole in the crotch area?

:lol:


Those who know, know...

But is it as bad as that infamous Profanatica photo? I wonder.
Author:  jose_G [ Tue Jun 20, 2023 3:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
great!!!
Author:  narsilianshard [ Tue Jun 20, 2023 3:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
FLIPPITYFLOOP wrote:
Don't get me wrong, Noregs Vaapen is a great record and the banjo solo in Myr absolutely fucks, but as great as that album is, it doesn't hold a candle to the first 3 records which - to me - are nearly untouchable.

My thoughts exactly. Those first three are just an absolute masterclass in black metal riffage, and nothing since has even come close.
Author:  Dustroy_Troly [ Tue Jun 20, 2023 10:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
I nowadays think that Noregs vaapen is the second best behind Doedskvad. And the banjo solo is the worst part of the album. Everything after Noregs vaapen has been patchier, though I do think the quality differences tend to get overstated between classic bands' earlier and later stuff. This song is sounding pretty great.
Author:  Chaosmonger [ Fri Jun 23, 2023 9:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
I think the debut is overrated myself. It has, like, three great tracks (on memory). A lot of it is kind of forgettable.
Author:  Forever Underground [ Sat Aug 26, 2023 10:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Full album already avaliable
Author:  deadtome [ Sun Aug 27, 2023 2:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Taake is rad, can't wait. I stumbled upon the music a few years ago and was pretty blown away.
Author:  Raven_Augustus [ Mon Aug 28, 2023 5:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
I think I like this one better than Stridens Hus and Kong Vinter. The production is raw, but not in a way that distracts form the songwriting. You can clearly hear all instruments.

More listens required.
Author:  FLIPPITYFLOOP [ Mon Sep 04, 2023 2:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Raven_Augustus wrote:
I think I like this one better than Stridens Hus and Kong Vinter. The production is raw, but not in a way that distracts form the songwriting. You can clearly hear all instruments.

More listens required.


I definitely like this way more than Stridens Hus and Kong Vinter, and I'm only halfway through the 2nd song. The writing is much more compelling and I think that time off served Hoest well. I like that there's much more focus on making the core guitar parts - the skeleton of the composition - more interesting, instead of doing bland punky power chord riffs with random effects overtop. If the rest of the record is like what I'm hearing so far, I'd be inclined to call this a progressive black metal album as it definitely leans in that direction (though not as much as Vertebrae-era Enslaved). Hoest seems to be exercising his unorthodox riffing tendencies again, and that is a damn good thing.
Author:  FLIPPITYFLOOP [ Mon Sep 04, 2023 2:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Just finished the album. Yeah, this is a very noticeable step up. The last song was a bit more hypnotic so I take back what I said about calling this a progressive black metal record, but like I said Hoest is still leaning heavily into his "out there" riffing again, and it's nice to hear.

Production is good too, like Raven_Augustus said. Very raw and undeniably black metal, but the instruments are all clear and clean and the mix is very well balanced. My only gripe is that I was listening on headphones, and all that feedback and amp noise at the end of the album was coming through the right channel only, and fucking hell - my right ear's ringing now. Feels like it got beat up while my left ear is completely chill. Center-pan that shit next time! Balance!
Author:  Raven_Augustus [ Mon Sep 04, 2023 3:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
FLIPPITYFLOOP wrote:
Just finished the album. Yeah, this is a very noticeable step up. The last song was a bit more hypnotic so I take back what I said about calling this a progressive black metal record, but like I said Hoest is still leaning heavily into his "out there" riffing again, and it's nice to hear.

It's interesting that you think about progressive black metal when listening to this. I've had the same feeling since Kong Vinter. Especially if you listen to the last song on there (Fra Bjoergegrend mot glemselen) it's changing things up all the time, and the drums are pretty complex. Maybe not Dream Theatre but more complex than expected.
Author:  deadtome [ Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
FLIPPITYFLOOP wrote:
Raven_Augustus wrote:
I think I like this one better than Stridens Hus and Kong Vinter. The production is raw, but not in a way that distracts form the songwriting. You can clearly hear all instruments.

More listens required.


I definitely like this way more than Stridens Hus and Kong Vinter, and I'm only halfway through the 2nd song. The writing is much more compelling and I think that time off served Hoest well. I like that there's much more focus on making the core guitar parts - the skeleton of the composition - more interesting, instead of doing bland punky power chord riffs with random effects overtop. If the rest of the record is like what I'm hearing so far, I'd be inclined to call this a progressive black metal album as it definitely leans in that direction (though not as much as Vertebrae-era Enslaved). Hoest seems to be exercising his unorthodox riffing tendencies again, and that is a damn good thing.

I like House of Strife and King Winter, just looking forward to more of this new one (A Sea of Distance)....need to really spend some time with it.
Author:  rarezuzuh [ Mon Sep 04, 2023 11:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Listened to it twice so far. I enjoyed it, but I think it'll take a few more listens to really judge how well it stacks up against the last couple. There are a lot of cool riffs and segments, but between the longer song lengths and the relatively seamless transition from tracks 1 and 2, I'm not feeling a strong sense of individual song identity, especially compared with Doedskvad or Noregs Vaapen.
Author:  alkostach [ Tue Sep 05, 2023 5:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
I find this new album much in the vain of modern Darkthrone, with a lot of heavy metal stuff going on, but not as soaked in doom. Lots of catchy riffage and haunting melodies.
Author:  FLIPPITYFLOOP [ Wed Sep 06, 2023 1:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Raven_Augustus wrote:
FLIPPITYFLOOP wrote:
Just finished the album. Yeah, this is a very noticeable step up. The last song was a bit more hypnotic so I take back what I said about calling this a progressive black metal record, but like I said Hoest is still leaning heavily into his "out there" riffing again, and it's nice to hear.

It's interesting that you think about progressive black metal when listening to this. I've had the same feeling since Kong Vinter. Especially if you listen to the last song on there (Fra Bjoergegrend mot glemselen) it's changing things up all the time, and the drums are pretty complex. Maybe not Dream Theatre but more complex than expected.


Interesting, perhaps I have to go back to Kong Vinter as I don't really remember that - I felt that he was trying to go back to pure black metal but the riffing was just... bland. 2nd time's the charm, perhaps? On the drumming note, Nattestid has fantastic drumming if you take a listen to the harsh as fuck recording. Wish that guy did more records with the band.

rarezuzuh wrote:
Listened to it twice so far. I enjoyed it, but I think it'll take a few more listens to really judge how well it stacks up against the last couple. There are a lot of cool riffs and segments, but between the longer song lengths and the relatively seamless transition from tracks 1 and 2, I'm not feeling a strong sense of individual song identity, especially compared with Doedskvad or Noregs Vaapen.


I think the seamless transition between the first 2 songs was cool actually; not something I expected from Hoest and it was done relatively well. I wonder if that was intentional or if it was a mastering mistake; if it's the latter then I won't complain (kind of like Tres Hombres by ZZ Top, where the break in Waitin' For The Bus immediately goes into the drum intro Jesus Just Left Chicago - though that sounds infinitely cooler. But anyways this is a metal forum...). I do agree though that it'll Taake a few listens to see how well it really holds up.
Author:  cultofkraken [ Thu Sep 07, 2023 3:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
I’ve listened to this a couple times and it hit me just right. Great album, where I’d slot it? Not sure right now but it’s definitely one of Hoest’s best.
Author:  Slater922 [ Thu Sep 07, 2023 8:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Pretty fine as far as Taake goes. Even though I'm more into their earlier works, I still found this album enjoyable.
Author:  Raven_Augustus [ Fri Sep 08, 2023 9:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Taake - Et Hav av Avstand [ September 1st]
Yeah unfortunately there is a pretty sharp divide between the old and new Taake. Noregs Vaapen is the only one that can stand up to the original trilogy in my view. In fact, Fra Vadested til Vaandesmed is my favourite Taake song.
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