TAAKE – reveals album details and new single

It has been thirty years since Hoest, nowadays a figure of near-legendary status on the Norwegian Black Metal scene, brought his one-man project TAAKE to life. Needless to say, lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then: seven full-length albums and a plethora of other releases, as well as a well-earned reputation for electrifying live appearances backed by a live band filled with superlative musicians.

It has been some time since 2017’s “Kong Vinter”, and it is as well to point out that a couple of years after its release, the world was hit by the Pandemic. However, this disaster proved to be a very creative time for Hoest, who was able to produce a significant amount of material, a portion of which is destined to see the light of day on TAAKE’s eighth full-length album. Titled “Et Hav av Avstand” (“A Sea of Distance”), it is set for release on Dark Essence Records on the 1st of September.

Consisting of four songs, with a combined running time of 42 minutes, “Et Hav av Avstand” arguably displays some of Hoest’s finest song writing to date. It is a fierce, but melancholy, piece of work that retains that unique, unfiltered, sense of rawness that is synonymous with Hoest’s sound and charismatic musical identity.

And today, fans will, for the first time, get a taste of the album with the release of the track “Et Uhyre av en Kniv” (“A Beast of a Knife”) which can be downloaded or streamed from a number of services at:

https://link.darkessencerecords.no/Taake_Et-uhyre-av-en-Kniv

Throughout his career Hoest has made sure that TAAKE manages to stay relevant and remain at the forefront of the Black Metal genre, losing none of the unique sound that has drawn legions of fans to the band, but at the same time never allowing that sound to stagnate.

He admitted in a recent, and very rare interview, that over the past few years he had hardly listened to any music. In other words, his recent compositions drew upon no inspiration outside of his own inner thoughts, feelings and reflections.

This has made “Et Hav av Avstand” a vigorously old-school album, appealing on that level to the more traditional listener, but Hoest, who plays every instrument on the album, has ensured that whilst the album is imbued with TAAKE’s unmistakable sound, that sound is, nevertheless, developed further, embracing the tastes of TAAKE’s more recent fans.  

Recorded and produced by Bjørnar Erevik Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES) at his Conclave and Earshot Studios in Bergen, and with front cover photo by Bende Csaba, track listing for “Et Hav av Avstand” is as follows:

1. Denne forblaaste Ruin av en Bro
2. Utarmede Gruver
3. Gid sprakk Vi
4. Et Uhyre av en Kniv