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Slegest – Avstand

slegest – avstand

Info

Slegest was formed by Stig Ese in 2010, a year after he left the Norwegian band Vreid. He released two full-length albums and two EPs as a one-man band before he decided to form a full line-up. The band’s third album, 2018’s ‘Introvert’, was the first to feature the full band of Håvard Ese on bass, Anders Christian on drums, Sven Roger on guitars and Stig Ese on guitars and vocals. Following up that 2018 album, the band are now ready to release the newest chapter in the band’s history with ‘Avstand’, the 2023 full-length released in early January through Dark Essence Records.

Musically, Slegest is quite far from the music that Stig Ese did with Vreid. Instead, the music on ‘Avstand’ is best described as a mix of Motörhead, Black Sabbath and Status Quo with some Darkthrone and Sarke. In other words, straightforward Black & Roll infused with a fair bit of Doom and melancholy. The Black Metal component mostly comes from the sharp guitar sound and Stig Ese’s raw vocals, but musically parallels with later Darkthrone and a less doomy version of early Sarke are in place. Most of the guitar, bass and drum parts are very much based on 70’s and 80’s Hardrock, giving the music a rocking and grooving character. The Status Quo worship isn’t just clear from cover of the song ‘Oh Baby’, but the Slegest song ‘Gåte’ also ends in what can only be called a very close homage to the American’s hit song ‘Whatever you Want’. The Doom Metal aspect often comes towards the end of the songs, where the Hardrock base is slowly replaced for more melody-laden melancholic sections. These transitions are well done and subtle, and it feels like the shift in mood of the songs is seamless.

Songs like ‘Innsikt’ and ‘Forløysning og rus’ are good examples of the sound on Slegest on this album. ‘Vinterkristus’ leaves the Doom Metal essence out and is a more straightforward track, while ‘Gåte’ has a very distinct 80’s feel until the Doom Metal takes over into an almost lounge section with saxophone. And in ‘Er det det livet’ the album comes closest to traditional Black Metal riffs, although it doesn’t stray all too far from the style of the other songs.

Compared to the previous album the music is fairly the same, but the sound is much better. ‘Introvert’ had an unpleasantly loud drum sound and the guitars sounded flat. With a sharper and rawer tone to the guitars and a more natural drum sound, ‘Avstand’ sound much better and allows the music of Slegest to come to full fruition. Whether the mix of Hardrock and Black Metal is to everyone’s liking is a different question, but to those that don’t mind their old school to go back in time a little bit further, ‘Avstand’ is certainly an interesting listen.

Slegest

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