History
The band was formed in 1993 - using the Ildskjaer monicker – by singer/guitarist Ghash and Obsidian C. who at the time sat behind the drum kit. Upon arrival of Vyl, Obsidian C. switched to the guitar, his first preference. The early line-up issued a demo in 1996 called, Skygger Av Sorg (Shadows Of Grief). The Trondheim-based band reportedly only printed ten copies of the demo.
Despite the band’s own reservations regarding the demo’s quality Italy’s Avantgarde Music offered the band a recording contract and the group entered Brygga Studio in the summer of 1997 to record its debut. Anotehr album for the label was followed by a breach of contract.
The band recruited former Mayhem singer Attila and recorded the Reclaim EP. FaceFront issued it in January of 2004. In December of 2004, Arnt Grønbech, along with fellow musician Steinar Gundersen, were arrested in Canada while on tour as members of Satyricon. They were accused of drugging and raping a woman on the tour bus in Toronto. That tour was consequently cancelled. Frost left in 2004 and was replaced by the band’s old drummer, Vyl. In the same year, the band signed to the Norwegian label, Tabu Recordings, for which the band recorded Armada. This recording introduced bassist Wizziac. A tour with Enslaved and 1349 was announced for late 2006. KOK announced June 10th, 2008 as the North American release date for the band’s Kolossus release. It came on the heals of the tour with Dimmu Borgir and Behemoth (dubbed the Invaluable Darkness Tour Part 2) in April and into early May.
Reviews
KEEP OF KALESSIN - AGNEN: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE DARK - AVANTGARDE/WWIII
Named after a fantasy dragon, the Norwegian black metal act has
constructed
an impressive second album. The songs comprise both the mid-paced and
the
blast-ridden fast and are occasionally Mayhemic circa De Mysteriis...
There
seems to be a hint of the abhorred synthesizer, yet this sycophant is
kept
well low in the mix. Agnen can descend both in complex patterns and as
a
head-on collision. Check out the title track where the band kicks off
consciously stealing thrashing mad from Assassin - what a head banging
tune!
The vocals are well tortured and the sound generally good, if a little
uneven. Lastly, and it might be my pressing, wouldn't the cover be much
more
impressive were it brighter?
KEEP OF KALESSIN – ARMADA – CANDLELIGHT
Certainly not the first band to do this but Keep Of Kalessin seems to be trying very hard to balance the melodic with the heavy on Armada. Here one finds the usual synthesizers and clean vocals mixed with the heavier and more traditional black metal elements. It is inevitable that a band risks easily surrendering the effects of the heavier songs when they incorporate other elements on their songs and Armada is no exception. The inclusion of a thrashier songs like Many Are We gives this one more variation but the album, all 49 minutes of it, loses it somehow despite having heavy, fast and above average black metal moments in the vein of Dissection, Satyricon et al. – Anna Tergel
Interviews
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