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Elite are a relatively unknown band that strike fairly hard with their first full-length release, "Kampen". The album is not excellent, but it shows great potential and strength in songwriting capabilities. The music on "Kampen" is vaguely reminiscent of Darkthrone's "Transilvanian Hunger" and "Panzerfaust", but it also has influences from such diverse bands as Gorgoroth and Khold. The influences are all very nebulous, however; Elite does not come across as a "worship" band, but they also are not entirely original. It feels like they simply have borrowed the older atmosphere or feel of Norwegian black metal, rather than directly following any particular bands. This certainly isn't a bad thing – the riffs are potent enough – the problem is that there is nothing particularly grabbing about the album except for a few melodies here and there; in general nothing in particular stands out.
The production on the album is good for black metal – the drum sound is a bit reminiscent of Gorgoroth's "Under The Sign Of Hell" mixed with the muffle of Darkthrone's "Transilvanian Hunger". The vocals are rough, slightly distorted, and very up-front – yet they never are too loud to be bothersome. They aren't the best black metal vocals; they are of the more throaty, raw variety, but they are much better than some material that's out there. The guitar work is also quite good, but again, nothing amazing. There are some excellent riffs here and there, but in other spots the songs seem a little bit patched together.
Elite have quite a name to live up to, and they clearly demonstrate potential with "Kampen". However, on the whole the album is not quite enough to thrust them into wide recognition. If they continue to record music, their further output seems like it would be absolutely worth looking into. "Kampen" is a good buy for those looking for a strong, old-school sound – but this album cannot be expected to be as rich as some of the available black metal that is out there.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Berserkerens Manifest |
| 2. Tusen År I Lysets Vold |
| 3. Brent Av Lyset |
| 4. Kampen For Vårt Norrønne Rike |
| 5. Trollkvinnens Sang |
| 6. Fanget I Vrede |
: 53.39
| Buy other Elite albums |
