Keiser – Our Wretched Demise (Review)

Our Wretched Demise is the second full length by the Norwegian black metal band Keiser. Now… Norwegian black metal is a STATEMENT. But please be assured that these guys do it on a different level, they definitely are not “one of many” compared to the classics of this style. You know, Gorgoroth, Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone, just to mention some of the big names. The riffing on this record is really true to those classics mentioned above. Best example is the riff-laden but also a bit slow and almost boring, slightly heavy metal influenced song “Cannons of War”, a true ode to the oldschool.

Let’s talk more about those riffs. One thing is for sure: They are always executed with a good sense for melody and harmony, which in my opinion makes this record stand out and far more accessible to those who are not really into the often more raw black metal bands. Like me, for example. Besides being melodic, the riffing is often pretty progressive and even technical, which makes Keiser more comparable to Empreror, even Stortregn to some degree. Also the production – the production is definitely closer to more modern bands and adds to the accessibility of this record. They have a bass player and you can actually hear that! That’s pretty rare in black metal.

Songs like “Eternal Onslaught” and the title song truly show the capability of the whole band and are also the perfect examples to show the listeners what style they are playing. Talking about the title track… Oh boy! That’s a 10 minutes long masterpiece. Starting off slowly and melodically just to thrash the sh*t out of you after the first third of the song, then to slow down again, hit you with a short but sweet solo, blastbeat you later again with a part that’s equally aggressive and beautiful… Just an amazing song from start to finish. One that is as long as a whole grindcore record and contains the songwriting capability of 10 grindcore bands. Jokes aside, if you like black metal played by talented musicians, black metal with good production, some thrash and death metal elements in your black metal, Our Wretched Demise by Keiser should be right up your alley. Enjoy!

8 / 10

Favorite Tracks:
“Our Wretched Demise”
“Eternal Onslaught”

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