Orkan Livlaus Dark Essence Records

Release: 11 September 2015

Orkan - Livlaus is another interesting album one should check out as it took me in another direction than excpected.

It's mainly fastforward black metal with some similarities to Taake,mainly the song structure , this is much more intense and experimental though and at times I just think industrial black metal with a cold feel to it. 

Most of the tracks have a very intense approach and then the riffs strike and set the atmosphere. To put it simple, this is a very complex album but at the same time straight forward, ehm, that kinda depends on how you listen to it which was my point excactly!

As for me personally, listening to the whole album can become somewhat too much, but that's more of personal taste , apart from that an overall good album and I see no reason why this should go by unheard as the band are on to something of their own, slowly developing... 

-Gravarson

Orkan’s four-man line-up was formed in 2008 by Taake’s live guitarist Gjermund Fredheim and ex-Byfrost drummer Rune Nesse. Joined by former Grimnorth bassist Sindre Hillesdal and frontman Einar Fjelldal (ex-Gravemachine), Orkan released their debut full-length album “Crimson Canvas” in 2012.

Whilst “Crimson Fields” is, as described by the band, “a self-financed, thrashy album”, Orkan have turned their musical vision in a much darker direction. They've taken the classic Norwegian Black Metal sound and incorporated influences from many other genres, to create atmospheric melodies with haunting vocals and intense blastbeats.

"Livlaus" was recorded live in the studio, there was no editing in the basic tracks. Vocals and effects were added later on. The lyrics are in Norwegian, and the whole album is based around a loose concept about a lost soul who is trying to find peace in the kingdom of the dead. The inspiration came from the forests around the home of drummer Rune Nesse, and the old sulphur mines in his hometown, Stord, on the west coast of Norway.

"Livlaus" is an uncompromising album with lots of variation, and within the Black Metal influenced sound you can hear elements from Thrash and various extreme metal. The band have recruited Hoest (Taake) and V'Gandr (Helheim) to do guest vocals on two of the tracks. With "Livlaus", Orkan shows that there's still life in the Norwegian metal underground!