Keep of Kalessin-Reptilian

Last Updated (Sunday, 08 August 2010 03:36) Written by Miguel Blardony Monday, 19 July 2010 19:29

Release Date: May 10, 2010

Label: Nuclear Blast

Genre: Melodic Black Metal

Rating: 7/10

Comments: Keep of Kalessin finally evolves into a different kind of monster.

Monsters in terms of technical prowess and ambition, it comes as no surprsie that Keep of Kalessin have decided to write a whole album about mythical reptillian beasts. Cheesy, you say? Not quite. This isn’t Dio, it’s not Rhapsody or Blind Guardian, it’s Norway’s most inventive black metal quartet and whatever they touch is always transformed into a majestic dish laden with manifod delights. Having gone the cinematic route on “Armada” and “Kolossus,” the Kalessin lads now deliver us a theme-driven album that sings praises to the fire-breathing kind for an hour.

With an immense workload ahead of them the band waste no time getting the show started as the thrash riffs and machinegun blastbeats fall on the listener like an avalanche on opening salvo “Dragon Iconogrphy.” It’s good, albeit rather tedious past three minutes. “The Awakening” is a marked improvement and by this deep into “Reptilian” it’s fairly obvious how Keep of Kalessin have turned a new leaf. Except for the tidal wave of blastbeats showcasing drummer Vyl’s talent behind the kit and the occasional buzz of gnarly riffs, there’s little else on “Reptilian” that smacks of the band’s origins.

Yet the album’s final test happens at its middle with the radio friendly anthem “The Dragontower” that Keep of Kalession had the cheek to impose on Eurvision. The reaction amongst their fans has been largely negative, however, this scribe can’t shake off the damn catchy chorus: “Show me, how to uncover the power/ take me, to the Dragontower!” So annoying! As mentioned, most ‘serious’ listeners consider it shit, a judgement righfuly deserved by Thebon’s sudden lapse into clean signing—he sounds ike a hobo trying to shake off a bad hangover. Despite this, “The Dragontower” might win Keep of Kalessin a new fanbase among those who’ve never known their past work as a full fledged black metal band.

The rest  of the album’s songs are excellent though, be it the furious “Leaving the Mortal Flesh” or the mid tempo malaise afflicting “Dark As Moonless Night.” Governed by the laws of epic albums, “Reptilian” finsihes on a grand note, the crowning track “Reptilian Majesty” spanning an immense 14 minutes before the curtains fall on the spectacle. Unless you find those eyes glaring at you from the cover too frightful for comofort, expect “Reptillian”’s charms to last a few spins.