One difference from their 2012 album
'Songs of the Buried' is that the lyrics are in Norwegian and that's why I have
no idea what they are singing about. The title 'Hyklere' can best be translated
as hypocrite, so a lot of songs have tangent lines with that subject I assume. I will stick to the music and there is again enough to enjoy.
I have the idea that the band took
more time to write songs that stick instead of trying too much in one song. That
doesn't change the fact that there are a mix of very different styles again.
Besides some folk sounding songs, there are still resemblances with Mastodon and
Faith No More and another band they use influences of is Clutch, but then more
appealing. The songs have strong melodies and rock. The rather heavy and fast
track "Gryta" is one of my favorites and "Groms", which has a kind of swing in
it, reminds me of System of a Down mixed with Queens of the Stone Age. Also the
next track "Langsint" has some influences of both of them.
Although I don't understand anything
Torgrim Torve sings (only the word alcohol in "Sjoldestruksjon"), he sounds very
accessible and it just fits perfectly to the music. You can hear the emotion in
his voice and perhaps that is the reason why he sings in his own language. The
guitars have a kind of stoner sound in them and in "Spaan" some epic choirs pass
by. Just like the band Kontrust there are so many different styles that it is
almost impossible to compare them with another band, you just have to be very
open minded and not just a 'one style only' fan.
For a lot this might be too much, but if you dig post rock with some folk and grooving elements with
melody, this might just be your cup of tea.
