Keep of Kalessin Reptilian Nuclear Blast USA I always feel that it’s important when writing a review, to give the person reading it some hints as to who you, the reviewer, are. This way the reader can understand whether or not you are of a similar mindset, and thus how much stock they can put in your take on a release. So, let me say this “I am not a fan of any of Keep of Kalessin’s previous records.” While I do enjoy extreme music, I don’t listen to it all the time and it only takes up about a quarter of my overall music collection. With that in mind, I absolutely love Reptilian! If all extreme music sounded as professional and epic as this album does, then I’d be much more of a fan. Keep of Kalessin basically take what they were doing on Kolossus and up the ante on it. Everything is more melodic, more epic, and more pristine without losing that raw Norwegian edge that drew legions of fans to the music of the country in the early nineties. For example, “Dragon Iconography” has a subtle melodic undertone that drives the beast through seven minutes plus worth of technically impressive playing that will make any fan of good music stand up and take notice. “Reptilian Majesty” clocks in at a whopping fourteen plus minutes but plays out like an opera that physically abuses you. It’s not all super long epic anthems though and that’s one of the things that makes this album so damn impressive-it’s all about balance. “The Dragontower” is pretty straightforward and comes just when you need a break for the super long, must pay attention to in order to fully appreciate songs, while the doomy “Dark as Moonless Night” offers something much more raw and powerful than the other songs. Overall, I give this record two massive thumbs up. It has everything- it’s huge, it’s fast and heavy, it’s dark, it’s got mythological lyrics, and most of all it has enough hooks to keep your attention. Maybe die hard Keep of Kalessin fans will hate this but if they do, it won’t matter much as the band are likely to score with a much wider audience with Reptilian. Bottom Line: Heavy and angry and furious and full of good old fashioned dragon references. Reviewed by: Mark Fisher <<Back To Reviews