Keep of Kalessin - Reptilian

Release Date: June 8, 2010
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Dragon Iconography
2.  The Awakening
3.  Judgement
4.  The Dragontower
5.  Leaving The Mortal Flesh
6.  Dark As Moonless Night
7.  The Divine Land
8.  Reptilian Majesty

Total playing time:  57:17

May 15, 2010

Reviewer: Roswell47

My first exposure to Keep of Kalessin's Reptilian was through a digital single which preceded the release of the album by several months.  I first heard about the single, "The Dragontower," when I learned that Keep of Kalessin had entered it in a song contest.  It seemed odd that a band like Keep of Kalessin would enter a song contest, yet as a long-time fan I was anxious to hear the new material.  By the time "The Dragontower" reached the chorus during my first listen, I realized the song was terrible.  From that point on I was very apprehensive about the new album.  After four solid blackened thrash albums, was the band losing its way?

Keep of Kalessin has always been an evolving band, but there are some pretty drastic changes found on Reptilian.  That's not to say that the guys have not retained some of their trademark sound, but overall they have simplified their songwriting.  The album feels bland and toned-down compared to their past efforts.  I don't know if this was a "natural progression" or a conscious effort to be more catchy and universally appealing.  Thebon's blackened yell is still intact for the most part.  Also, on "Dragon Iconography" Thebon uses the same yelled "semi-clean" singing voice that he has in the past.  However, a new form of clean singing has been introduced on songs like the aforementioned "The Dragontower," "The Awakening," and "Dark as Moonless Night."  Most of the time the vocals are much cleaner than on past releases. These newly polished clean vocals are typically used during choruses and are layered with harmonies.  This works to great effect on "Judgement" and "The Awakening."  These vocal parts sound tailor-made for crowd sing-alongs during live performances.  Keep of Kalessin even takes the clean singing a step further on "The Awakening" and introduces an entire choir for an effect that is reminiscent of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" or Jerry Goldsmith's score for The Omen.  Despite these successes, the clean vocals fail miserably on the sing-songy chorus of "The Dragontower" and make it virtually unlistenable. 

Another new aspect featured on Reptilian is the more prominent role played by the keyboards.  Together with the clean/choir vocals, they create a strong cinematic feel.  This fits well with the dragon theme that is present throughout the album (including the amazing cover art).  At many times the album almost feels like a metal fantasy soundtrack.  That's not to say that the album is all light and fluffy.  "Dragon Iconography," and "Leaving the Mortal Flesh" both kick ass in a full-throttle style that's similar to past albums.  These songs, like many on the album, feature blast beats and fast thrash tempos courtesy of the drums.  While the drumming is especially varied and flashy on songs like "Judgement," others have a more straight-forward steady "rock" drum beat.  "Dark as Moonless Night" is a plodding and catchy winner on the opposite end of the tempo spectrum.  The guitars on Reptilian utilize many of the old Keep of Kalessin tricks like black metal riffs, thrashy chords, and clean arpeggios.  Despite this, they usually feel overly simplified compared to the older albums.   

The songs on Reptilian range from excellent ("Dragon Iconography" and "The Awakening") to just plain awful ("The Dragontower"), but for the most part the songs fall somewhere in between the two extremes.  In a way, Reptilian reminds me of Metallica's self-titled "black album" because most of the songs are actually pretty good, yet they pale in comparison to the group's previous output.  Like the album Metallica, this release may signal a coming change for Keep of Kalessin.  They will probably lose some old fans, but they may also gain even more new ones.  This album will be most easily enjoyed by newcomers who have no preconceived ideas about how Keep of Kalessin "should" sound.  Reptilian will be easy enough for the uninitiated to enjoy because it is simplistic and catchy while also sounding grandiose and cinematic in scope.  Having said that, Reptilian will most likely divide the old fan base.  Probably only the most open-minded Keep of Kalessin fans will thoroughly enjoy Reptilian.  It may be a little too "mainstream-sounding" for the rest.  Nevertheless, many old Keep of Kalessin fans may have an especially negative impression of Reptilian if "The Dragontower" is all they have heard.  I urge these fans to at least give the other songs a chance. 

Reptilian is definitely different, but it is by no means a bad album.  It all depends on how you choose to look at it.  When I ignore Keep of Kalessin's past triumphs and my own preconceived ideas, I am able to truly enjoy a majority of this release.  However, that is easier said than done.  Despite its good qualities, it's almost impossible for me not to consider Reptilian at least a mild disappointment.  I know they are capable of so much more.

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