Album Review: Keiser – Our Wretched Demise (Non Serviam Records)

A black metal band from Norway, Keiser have not only recently signed with Dutch extreme metal label Non Serviam Records but will release their new album “Our Wretched Demise” on November 27th, 2020.

Commenting on the new album, Keiser said:

We wanted to make an album where war is the general theme. The lyrics deal with different aspects of war, especially the human side of it.

War. War never changes. A source for many bands’ inspiration and exactly the brutal events that have served to make Keiser’s Our Wretched Demise such a punishing listen.

A black metal album with the depths of savage noise and harsh horror you might expect from such a theme. Keiser begin the bombardment of humanity with Scourge of the Wicked. A track that begins in dense and evil fashion before taking on a faster and more wicked role.

Cannons of War then shows some surprising guitar groove and a racing solo alongside explosive drum offensive. Before Keiser make the atrocities of war a focal point of When Fire Rides the Night Sky with a thoroughly dense sound.

It’s quality stuff so far and more is still to come.

Shroud is fixated on the black metal frenzy with some grander harmonious moments, Far From Human is a wild and untamed beast that comes tearing out of the darkness, The Fog is an acoustic guitar-led eerie interlude and Eternal Onslaught sees Keiser rise from the ashes of devastation for one of their most detailed performances so far.

Although that statement is made completely redundant by the title track as the black metallers step their game up to an unsurprisingly higher level. It’s not just the extended length of 10+ minutes though. It’s barrage of riffs, the deep trenches of blackened heavy percussion, the muddy vocals, the slower and crawler horror tempo that turns into more extravagant highs and violent lows. It’s something liable to leave you feeling a bit shell-shocked.

War might never change but across 9 tracks, Kesier prove that they can make something good out of it.

Keiser – Our Wretched Demise Full Track Listing:

1. Prelude to War
2. Scourge of the Wicked
3. Cannons of War
4. When Fire Rides the Night Sky
5. Shroud
6. Far from Human
7. The Fog
8. Eternal Onslaught
9. Our Wretched Demise

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Non Serviam Records