BIZARREKULT
BIZARREKULT “Den Tapte Krigen”
By Lord Randall
It's good to be right once in a while.
Wasting no time, “Du Lovet Meg” (‘You Promised Me’) moves forward confidently, blast beats and treble-based riffing engaged, yet just as assuredly drops into a near-BLACKFIELD / GREEN CARNATION dream of ether, combining both aspects throughout, and it’s clear the nearly two years between this album and V”i Overlevde” have served BIZARREKULT extremely well.
“Den Tapte Krigen” (‘The Lost War’) canters at a mid-pace for the most part, not as obviously spacious as what’s come before, elements of German avant-gardists PORTA NIGRA being conjured, “Hvis Jeg Bare Kunne…’”(‘If I Could Only…’) and its snappy, drum-driven musical motif in moments belying the downcast resignation of the lyrical matter. One begins to understand why the band chose to cover the ‘TALLICA song ‘King Nothing’ between albums, and see it fit within BIZARREKULT’s framework with surprising comfort.
“Midt I Stormen” (‘In The Middle Of The Storm’) is punkish, more “The Cult Is Alive” era than DARKTHRONE’s current incarnation, but the influence is there, shining and gloriously defiant. One thing noticeably different when it comes to “Den Tapte Krigen” is that the songs move around more than on the debut, Dina V.’s vocals weaving in and out of this tune, and through the whole of the album, so that when “Kjære Barn” (‘Dear Child’) and its broken lullaby [2:47-3:21] bridge from the death/doom shades of the song’s beginning to full on black metal explosion, it’s absolutely breathtaking.
Led by a persistent drum and bass pattern at the start, “Løslatt” (‘Released/Set Free’) calls forth KHOLD in its rhythmic pace, but again, more sweeping in execution, leading into the finale of “Himmelen er Utilgjengelig” (‘Heaven Is Not Available’), and proving my thoughts from my former review that, given room to grow, BIZARREKULT could turn into something extremely worthwhile, if not vital. “Den Tapte Krigen” is such an album.