Since 2006’s watershed album, Armada, Norway’s Keep of Kalessin have teased with utter brilliance mired in mediocrity. Truly epic, brilliant songs like “Armada”, ‘Crown of the Kings”, “Dragon Iconography”, “The Rising Sign” or “The Divine Land” littered the last three albums and while 2010’s Reptillian seemed to remedy the peaks and valleys of the band’s […]

Keep of Kalessin’s last album, 2008’s Kolossus, blended the typical heavy, harsh elements of blackened death metal with tasteful acoustic passages that had a jazz-meets-prog flavor to them. Make no mistake: the brutal was brutal, from second track “A New Empire’s Birth” and onward. The mix of very dense, heavy passages/songs with lighter pieces/sections was, to […]

Following their 2008 release, Kolossus, Norway’s Keep Of Kalessin will be unleashing their latest effort, Reptilian, on May 10th in Europe and June 8th in North America with a tour with Nile, Ex Deo, Psycroptic, and Pathology to commence at the end of October. Recorded in the band’s own studio in Trondheim, Norway, Reptilian was […]

Keep of Kalessin meets Gamma Ray. Or is it vintage Iron Maiden on the opening track with acoustic guitar thrown in. The production is even more polished and clearer than last time making for a monumental sound that will make Bathory purists cringe. Once again high energy forward driving but not overtly melodic music with […]

Kolossus, the new album from Norwegian metallers KEEP OF KALESSIN, is available for streaming in its entirety at the band’s MySpace page. Due in Europe on June 6 and in North America on June 10, the CD will feature the following track listing: 01. Origin 02. A New Empire’s Birth 03. Against The Gods 04. […]

Shed the high profile members, keep the audience. Historically the strength of Keep of Kalessin was drumming and vocals. Both positions changed hands for Reclaim, and both have changed again here, with original drummer Vyl back in the fold where he belongs, replacing Frost. Thebon replaces the pinch hitter Attila, who also jumped on board […]

Keep Of Kalessin is either an under appreciated cult band or an over hyped clone band, depending on who one speaks with. Mercenary Musik has brought Through Times of War to American audiences for the first time as an official North American release. Originally released on Avantgarde in 1998, it has aged well and is […]

Keep Of Kalessin has been around sine 1997, since 1993 if you include their time as Ildskjaer. In nearly a decade they have released only two full lengths, 1998’s debut and 1999’s Agnen, both on Italy’s Advantgarde. Not very prolific, and so I was surprised when WWIII/ Mercenary Musik re-released both albums in North America. […]