C D R E V I E W

Gray sky, pelting rain and mist... this day of september is the ideal time to make the chronic of the Kampfar's last album, "Kvass". We would nearly believe we are in Norway, the music helping...

Yes ! Kampfar, with this fabulous album, drives us to far countries, wild and snowbound. As a soaring bird, we perceive warriors at a gallop.

This is what I see when I listen to "Kvass", a fantastic ride thrown at full speed !

But truce of poetry... let us talk about music.

The first piece of the album "Lyktemenn" begins with a very beautiful introduction, simple and effective and which becomes more and more powerful. The typical sound of Kampfar, the drum which hammers whitout respite our ears and the cutting voice of Dolk are a total ectasy.

Ravenheart is extremely powerful, perhaps the best piece of the album. It begins by an air in the very viking spirit, then a very soft passage on the piano brings the piece in all its fury.

The continuation of the album is also excellent, with alternations of fast/mi tempo passages, very rich in harmonies but too marked by a pure violent and aggessive black metal.

The Norwegians kept us waiting (7 years !) but it was to better come back !

All in this album is good : the production, the arrangements, the guitars with implacable rythmics and with deep harmonies, the voice which overlaps, the drum and the deep choirs which relate us the scandinavian legends.

Dolk's voice goes far to the success of this album : powerful, running in a medium register, neither too low, nor too shrill, it reveals itself cruel and fierce. The magnificent chorus are enriched by the musicality of the norwegian language.

Many passages melodic mid-tempo are setted with care in order to give more power to what follows them.

With "Kvass", we fly over various landscapes all as beautiful as the others. It is a real epic painting that Kampfar offers us. "Kvass" is undeniably an album to have in one's record library.

Hoping we will not have to wait for a long time the next album !

To note that Kampfar will be present at Wacken 2007 !