I have always been a fan of fantasy novels but my appreciation towards this genre was further increased the moment my partner introduced me to the works of the American author Ursula K.Le Guin and especially her best selling novel 'The Earthsea Quartet' which is still listed amongst my favourite books of all times. What does this have to do with the Norwegian Black Metal outfit Keep Of Kalessin, one may justifiably ask? Well, let's just say that this specific set of novels was the main source of inspiration, in terms of lyrical content of course, for this Norwegian quartet - a 'detail' to some, but one that certainly raised my interest towards this band's music.

The band's debut album "Through Times Of War" portrayed them as a typical mid 90s Norwegian Black Metal outfit, with speed being probably their most important attribute, yet there were quite a few moments in that release where I felt that there was a certain 'connection' and influence from other extreme metal genres, namely Death Metal, and with that in mind, I was really looking forward to seeing what their next musical step would be. Well, in terms of musical progress, the band's second studio album "Agnen - A Journey Through The Dark" is anything but disappointing. While retaining their aggressive character, Keep Of Kalessin seem to have definitely grown both as a band and individually as musicians seeing as their second album sounds far more technical and challenging in comparison to their debut release - an observation that is audible from the very first tunes of the opening track "Pain Humanised".

If you were satisfied by the way guitars and keyboards performed the role of building up the dark atmosphere that made "Through Times Of War" so interesting, then you will be happy to know that not many things have changed in that 'department'. The main change is in the way the rhythm section operates within the environment of each composition - no longer supporting each song with a simple rhythmical pattern, but often performing some interesting solos and rather complicated themes.

In terms of material, the word 'variety' certainly justifies the existence of a Folk-sounding composition such as "Orb Of Man" next to a speed Black Metal opus such as "As Mist Lay Silent Beneath". I was personally really impressed by the last two compositions of the album, namely "Towards I Roam" and "Agnen", the former displaying a rhythmical opening theme and a bass virtuoso performance that even Deicide would be envious of whereas the latter followed a melodic pattern that I haven't heard in a band since the days of late Carcass (see "Heartwork" album).

I am very interested to find out how the Black Metal purists felt about this 'sudden change' in direction that Keep Of Kalessin took back in 1999, the year that this album was first released, even though I am sure that most of them would not have been particularly supportive. This is quite insignificant, though, seeing as "Agnen - A Journey Through The Dark" is a very interesting and well-performed album which any extreme metal fan should consider adding to their CD collection. This is a band whose compositions will be a sure bet in the years to come.

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Review by John Stefanis