Helheim - "Kaoskult"
Band: Helheim
CD Title: Kaoskult
Year: 2008
Website: hellheim.com
MySpace: myspace.com/helheimnorway
Label: Karisma Records DA and Dark Essence Records
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks exclusive
Rating: 9.7 / 10
More Links: Please start a thread in the Loucifer Speaks forum
This is an album that I was really looking forward to reviewing. I'd heard and read many complimentary things about Helheim and I couldn't wait to see if "Kaoskult" lived up to the hype. The truth is that the album didn't blow me away as much as I thought it would do. This doesn't mean that it's not good, or even brilliant, it's just that it was spoilt by the build-up - which is a shame, because on it's own it's a damn good album.
Anyway, hype aside, what is "Kaoskult" like? It's an incredibly atmospheric Black Metal album. The keyboards really manage to set a mystical and creepy mood, while the other instruments (including the vocals) create a wild sound - this is what a band formed in the wilderness might sound like. I love music that I can get lost in - this is my reason for liking Vesperian Sorrow and Novembre and, while these bands have nothing in common with Helheim musically, they do have that sort of atmosphere. I could easily disappear within my own mind for days on end if I had this on repeat... and that's what makes this album so special. This is why all of the hype was created by friends and acquaintances online. So, the hype is deserved, but it takes away that feeling of discovery for any new listener.
The opener "Det Norrone Alter" really sets the scene and just goes to show what sort of standard the rest of the album is going to be - Extremely high. "Northern Forces", "Hellheim 6" (possibly one of the creepiest tracks ever!), "Svart Seid" and "Altered through Ages, Constant in Time" have all quickly become favourites of mine. Helheim know when to be subtle and when to be brutal - they seem to have struck the balance perfectly.
With or without the hype, this album is really worth adding to your collection. You will not regret it. "Kaoskult" isn't the best album in the world ever, but it's good enough to become one of your all-time favourites.
CD Title: Kaoskult
Year: 2008
Website: hellheim.com
MySpace: myspace.com/helheimnorway
Label: Karisma Records DA and Dark Essence Records
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks exclusive
Rating: 9.7 / 10
More Links: Please start a thread in the Loucifer Speaks forum
This is an album that I was really looking forward to reviewing. I'd heard and read many complimentary things about Helheim and I couldn't wait to see if "Kaoskult" lived up to the hype. The truth is that the album didn't blow me away as much as I thought it would do. This doesn't mean that it's not good, or even brilliant, it's just that it was spoilt by the build-up - which is a shame, because on it's own it's a damn good album.
Anyway, hype aside, what is "Kaoskult" like? It's an incredibly atmospheric Black Metal album. The keyboards really manage to set a mystical and creepy mood, while the other instruments (including the vocals) create a wild sound - this is what a band formed in the wilderness might sound like. I love music that I can get lost in - this is my reason for liking Vesperian Sorrow and Novembre and, while these bands have nothing in common with Helheim musically, they do have that sort of atmosphere. I could easily disappear within my own mind for days on end if I had this on repeat... and that's what makes this album so special. This is why all of the hype was created by friends and acquaintances online. So, the hype is deserved, but it takes away that feeling of discovery for any new listener.
The opener "Det Norrone Alter" really sets the scene and just goes to show what sort of standard the rest of the album is going to be - Extremely high. "Northern Forces", "Hellheim 6" (possibly one of the creepiest tracks ever!), "Svart Seid" and "Altered through Ages, Constant in Time" have all quickly become favourites of mine. Helheim know when to be subtle and when to be brutal - they seem to have struck the balance perfectly.
With or without the hype, this album is really worth adding to your collection. You will not regret it. "Kaoskult" isn't the best album in the world ever, but it's good enough to become one of your all-time favourites.
Track List
01 Det Norrøne Alter
02 Northern Forces
03 Om Smerte og Liv
04 Om Tilblivelsen av Gapende Tomhet
05 Helheim 6
06 Åndevind
07 Symboler, Fremover og Bakover
08 Altered Through Ages
09 Svart Seid