TAAKE

Ørjan Stedjeberg, better known in the metal world by his pseudonym Hoest, has been accompanied by numerous recording and live performance musicians, some of them quite notable. But at the end of the day, the corpse-painted maniac has been the heart, soul, brain, blood and balls behind the 33-year old Bergen-based black metal beast TAAKE. However much stock one may put into the notion of "true Norwegian black metal," few could question the legitimacy of TAAKE within that storied scene. Sometimes hamstrung in the public eye due to bold theatrics and a confrontational approach, Hoest has persevered by virtue of his devotion to the dark arts within the context of the world of heavy metal music. Now, TAAKE returns with its formidable ninth full-length album, "En Skog av Nidstang", an effort that offers enough tasty musical fat worthy of chewing on repeatedly.

Like its 2023 predecessor, "Et hav av avstand", the new release is also divided into four chapters that fluidly bleed into one another. "En Skog av Nidstang" proves to be everything that Norwegian black metal arguably should be in 2026. It isn't just a mindless and obligatory carbon copy of dated, raw black metal. Instead of mindless allegiance to an aesthetic and passive subservience to groupthink, TAAKE continues to carry the torch of classic and timeless black metal while pushing forward into the brush, adding subtly and nuanced prog-tinged riffs and movements along the way as they do within the opening minutes of "Enger".

Right from the beginning, on "Einstoeingen go eg", TAAKE balances dramatic energy with a puffed-out chest while paradoxically delivering music that's sincere and without pretense. Nothing seems by the numbers nor forced. There is a confident tug and pull throughout the proceedings musically as though two kids are initially trying to fling the other off a teeter-totter before agreeing to find some common ground and equilibrium. Closer "Autonomy Lost" kicks off with a guitar lick that's flavored with the spice of Americana such that you could almost picture tumble weeds blowing across a New Mexican desert, and that's before the frigid tundra and tremolo picking of proper Norwegian black metal takes hold alongside Hoest's scathing and vocal cord-tearing delivery that occasionally yields for a likable mid-ranged, monotone croon.

The repetition of riffs and movements on this final song pays dividends with the intended hypnotic effect, however the lengthy segments and songs comprising "En Skog av Nidstang" seem excessive, overplayed and overreaching, if even slightly. But it is noticeable. The main points of the songs could have been abbreviated, and the release could have been an EP; or Hoest could have fleshed out other ideas into additional songs. In any event, while TAAKE's ninth album isn't perfect, it is most definitely a delicious creative accomplishment and one of black metal's highlights thus far in 2026.