Review: “Likfunn” by Keiser

“This time we decided to do something completely different. We took the legendary macabre Norwegian poem “Likfunn” and made it into an epic and ripping metal track, which the EP is based around. The other part of the EP is “The Final Dissolve”, which is just as epic, but more traditional Keiser. We are, as always, proud of our effort and hope our listeners will appreciate the EP.” ~ Keiser

Four years after the arrival of their well received sophomore album “Our Wretched Demise“, Norwegian Black Metal quartet Keiser return with something a little different. Formed in 2015 the band who now comprise Mikael Torseth (Ghetto Ghouls) on guitars and vocals, William Aamodt on guitars, Jon Einar Hektoen on bass and Geir Marvin Johansen (Confidential, Funeral Harvest, Nathr) on drums and vocals, rose to prominence with debut “Ascension of Ghouls”. Creating captivating material laced with themes of occultism, the downfall of mankind and eternal conflicts has always been their way and so turning a poem into a song is an intriguing prospect…

…surpassing seventeen minutes across this pair of tracks should mean that you don’t feel short changed and believe us when we say what it lacks in duration it makes up for in depth and texture. Much like Dante’s Inferno there have been a few who have dared to take on “Likfunn” in the past and lived to tell the tale, so Keiser aren’t the first and probably won’t be the last. What they have done is created for it an epic soundtrack that meanders from a melodic introduction with Progressive Black Metal leanings, building from a flickering flame to a towering inferno over nine minutes of sublime musicianship. There are even a couple of Blackened Thrash moments with riffs that seemingly have “Master Of Puppets” era Metallica roots, however the fierce skull splitting vocals are unmistakeably Keiser. A stormy sea of riffs fly in all directions, set off by a face melting Speed Metal inspired solo before fading into a majestic expansive instrumental passage with glorious leads. A perfectly executed false ending allows for one more crushing verse and as the flames rise to the skies you can’t help but admire the incredible musicianship of the quartet.

Accompaniment “Final Dissolve” is by no means a lesser mortal in comparison with the title track and to be honest a more worthy successor to the crown you are unlikely to find. That’s because the two tracks sit very well beside each other, as if cut from the same cloth, a sublime melodic introduction once again bursting into Black Metal with verve and swagger. Torseth’s harsh yet classically styled vocals help the band reach towards Extreme Metal as they climb from the abyss, the monstrous, inventive and nuanced guitar work at the forefront of everything they create. There is even a Traditional Metal style passage with a jam session feel wrapped around a solo in the second half that blows the mind before the final onslaught. How they’ve managed to piece this together with such slick transitions between style shifts beggars belief. If this is the shape of punk to come from Keiser then their next album is going to be something very special [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Likfunn
2. Final Dissolve

“Likfunn” by Keiser is out 20th September 2024 via Non Serviam Records and is available over at bandcamp