KAASIN – The Underworld

RELEASE YEAR: 2026
BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/kaasinmusic/?locale=nb_NO

Norwegian hard rockers Kaasin, which is the brainchild of Come Taste the Band guitarist Jo Henning Kaasin, impressed yours truly quite a bit a few years ago when they released the melodically strong and impeccably crafted Fired Up. Said album was a superb mixture of eighties classic heavy metal and late seventies bluesy hard rock, and while the influences from titans and legends ala Whitesnake, Rainbow, Dio, and Deep Purple were undeniable, Kaasin definitely displayed a flair and musical identity of their own as opposed to merely rehashing old ideas.

Nothing has changed with respect to any of the above in 2026 as their upcoming and rather fabulous new opus titled The Underworld proudly shows. If anything, the band comes across as even more confident, convincing, and determined than previously. The songs are constantly propelled forward by great energy and enthusiasm, and what characterizes the whole lot consisting of nine tracks in total is the notion and quality of being memorable and lingering in the back of one’s mind hours after having listened to them. Each song seems to have a story to it, which adds a meaningful narrative to the record as a whole, and there are several noteworthy gems to sink ones teeth into throughout including the charming homage to discovering classic rock that is “The Real World,” the fiery metal delight titled “We Speed at Night,” the towering epic and highlight named “Arabian Night,” and the galloping, infectiously catchy title track.   

Sometimes soaring, other times raw and full of grit with subtle tones of the blues simmering underneath, The Underworld is a genuine (and genuinely great!) LP that evokes the timeless vigor and wonders of well-written and atmospheric heavy rock of the seventies and eighties while also managing to look to the future by means of carving out its own unique tone and melodic style. Did I mention that the production is full of crunch and power? Bloody marvelous stuff, really.