The one non-arguable point to get across about Stridens hus is related to its composition: this is no traditional black metal album by any sense of the word.  At parts it may somewhat resemble that, yes, but those parts generally lead into more experimental territory.  And if you are disgusted by that idea, please kindly avert your eyes.  However, the experimentation heard within this album is ripe and golden.  For those who don’t know, Taake (read: Hoest) have been trudging through the Norwegian black metal scene rather successfully for the past 20-plus years.  With that time and experience has come perfection of past musical ideals, and progression to previously unexplored realms.  Stridens hus marks the pinnacle of exploration for Taake and it couldn’t be more appropriate.  The biting cold, harsh atmosphere one would come to expect from any good black metal is there, as are the thrashy, punk-like “fuck you” moments.  Beautifully dire riffs?  Check.  Expertly timed nasty segments of evil repetition?  Check.  Soul-crushing vocals and musical themes?  Check.  So what’s new?

Musically, Taake begin Stridens hus where Noregs vaapen left off: lurking deep in the foggy forests of Norway with a slashing weapon at hand.  But suddenly there is a shift, and we leave Norwegian landscapes for…the beach?  A coffee shop?  The lonely Appalachian hobo banjo from Noregs vaapen’s “Myr”—strange and yet perfectly haunting and thus fitting—has since made friends with surfers and psychedelic musicians, and they’ve come along to ride the train that is Stridens hus.  Temporarily, at least.  Completely off-the-wall moments (for black metal, mind you) come into play numerous times.  The first is toward the end of opener “Gamle Norig,” where a dreamy yet fleeting echoing/delaying guitar section sneaks in.

Next, in “Orm,” psychedelic and otherworldly riffs and solos come in, as though Outer Limits-era Voivod has been transplanted into the Norwegian forests.  It’s offsetting initially, within the midst of dense layers of signature Taake riffing, but it quickly becomes acceptable, then agreeable, then essential.  Within tracks such as “Det fins en Prins” and “En sang til sand om ildebrann,” these experimental sections are less of a shock and come more in the form of modern and progressive elements to the song, a la Enslaved perhaps.  They are still angular and dissonant, yet they play in nicely.  The “hang ten” blurb in the middle of “Stank,” though, seems to come out of the blue (in a good way).

Definitely worth mentioning as well is the production value of Stridens hus.  It’s crisp and optimal for clarity, much unlike early Taake offerings, but never sounds overdone or contrived.  That’s a huge plus to me, and a sign of the strides Hoest/Taake has taken over the years—decades, even—on the path to black metal enlightenment.  There really is no big conclusion to be made here, though.  Taake rules, and Hoest will stop for no black metal purists on his quest to write the perfect album.  Throughout the years Taake’s music has evolved, but it’s never strayed too far from its original path.  And anyone who can’t appreciate a little growth probably sucks anyway.

I can think of many reasons why I listen to Taake but all those reasons can be expressed with “Du Ville Ville Vestland”, great riffs with timely repetition of said riffs that hammer them into the deepest recesses of your long term memory, a heavy drum presence without pulverizing all else and impeccable rhythm, and cool shrieked vocals, not shrieked like the old days, but you can’t have everything. Add in excellent solos and you have what every band aspires to have, no doubt.

Over the years Taake have slowed and taken the time to smell the flowers and now they are coming up roses. I defy you to say they have committed sacrilege to their roots, it’s all in here. Hel, they even revisit female vocals. Everything that meant anything on the first three albums is still evident but now we have the power of a realized presentation, songs are crafted to make use of various motifs and borrowed styles are integrated where they need be, not as window dressing or a swipe to build a song around. The atmospherics with spoken word rival anything they’ve ever attempted in that department.

Just to pick a familiar example, “Hordaland VI”, the homage piece, showcases their folk stylings. A cool song for its obvious swipe, fit in very well with the Taake sound of the day but would stand out glaringly on Noregs Vaapen. Those same stylings are still evident but contain the singular stamp of Hoest. Add to that so called black and roll grooves and ‘white trash banjo’ and one can see the template is expanding, yet no worries, satisfaction endures, from the first spin to the twenty first spin. Their fifth studio album is well worth the effort. I will not even tell you about the cool melodic line starting at the four minute mark of “Myr”, it is a surprise worth discovering.

As much as I enjoy the first three albums and will continue to play them I am currently willing to say this their fifth album is their best to date. I am partial to “Fra Vadested Til Vaandesmed”, “Dei Vil Alltid Klaga Og Kyta” and “Du Ville Ville Vestland” but all are worthy, seriously.