Taake is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen, formed in 1993 and origi… Read Full Bio ↴Taake is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen, formed in 1993 and originally named Thule. The band's one continuous member is Hoest, who writes and records most of the music. He has released six full-length albums and several EPs. The band describes itself as "True Norwegian black metal", and Hoest said that he wants to "awaken national pride and cultural nostalgia in my Norwegian listeners" as well as to remind people "that Hell is right here on Earth and that humans can be demons". All lyrics are in Hoest's native dialect and are printed in Norse runes. "Taake" is the old spelling of the Norwegian word "tåke", meaning "fog".

In 1993, Ørjan Stedjeberg (then known as 'Ulvhedin'), formed the first version of the band Taake under the name Thule, together with drummer 'Svartulv'. Thule released two demos, Der vinterstormene raste in 1993 and Omfavnet av svarte vinger in 1994. Shortly after, the band changed its name to Taake and 'Ulvhedin' adopted the new pseudonym 'Hoest' (meaning "autumn" or "harvest"). In 1995, the released the demo Manndaudsvinter in 1995. This was followed in 1996 by a 7" EP called Koldbrann i jesu marg.

Between 1999 and 2005, Taake released three full-length albums. They are a trilogy of concept albums linked by the topics of "death, Norway, and the devil in man".[4]

The first full-length album, Nattestid ser porten vid, was released by Wounded Love Records in 1999. The album was written entirely by Hoest, but he brought in a session musician, 'Tundra', to perform bass guitar and drums. It was recorded throughout 1997 and 1998 at the Grieg Hall.

The second installment of the trilogy, Over bjoergvin graater himmerik, was released in 2002 by Wounded Love Records. On this record, Hoest surrounded himself with a band: second guitarist 'C. Corax', bassist and pianist 'Keridwen', and drummer 'Mutt' (Gaahlskagg, Trelldom, Sigfader).

The final installment of the trilogy, Hordalands doedskvad, was released in 2005 by Dark Essence Records. It features second guitarist 'C. Corax', bassist 'Lava' and drummer 'Mord'. It also features several guest vocalists, including 'Nattefrost' (Carpathian Forest), 'Nordavind' (Carpathian Forest) and 'Taipan' (Orcustus).

Over the following three years, Taake released four short EPs and played a few festivals (most notably the Hole in the Sky Festival in Norway, with Ivar Bjørnson of Enslaved on guitar), but according to Hoest, Taake was "on ice for a while".

Before the 2006–2007 European tour, Taake revamped their official homepage. Following the infamous March 2007 show in Essen, the band were removed from several festivals and received much backlash. At the same time, Lava, who had been bass guitarist since 2002, left the band.

In 2008, a fourth album was released, recorded entirely by Hoest and simply named Taake. The album was recorded for Hoest's own label Svartekunst Produksjoner, and was distributed via Dark Essence Records.

In 2011, Taake released the EP Kveld, featuring both new and re-recorded songs. This was followed shortly after by Taake's fifth full-length album, Noregs vaapen. Hoest collaborated with many prominent Norwegian black-metallers for this record including Attila Csihar, Nocturno Culto, Demonaz and Ivar Bjørnson. It was again released on his own label Svartekunst Produksjoner to much critical acclaim. The album was nominated for the prestigious Spellemann award in Norway for top metal release. This nomination was met with some derision due to anti-Islamic lyrics.

To mark the band's 20th anniversary, Taake released the compilation album Gravkamre, kroner og troner in 2013.

Taake played their first show in the United States in May 2014 at Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore.

In 2014, Taake released the sixth full-length album Stridens hus[8] and the EP Kulde through Dark Essence Records. In support of this record and as a follow up to their successful show in Maryland, Taake announced an East Coast US tour for the first time in their history, to begin in June 2015.

Velg bort livet
Taake Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Det var svart det var natt
En blodsoet skygge ut fra veggen
Naalys fugl paa gresstak
taler livet baklengs naar det kveldes
og det blaaser til storm

Et skittent under
Kald sterk sannhet

uten sol
Foredlet smerterus og kroppslig svinn
Djevelen paa tunet ville gjerne inn

Kullkastet
Vissen
Hinsides
liksvekk

Velg bort livet
Evig kulde
Evig intet

Et siste sukk av lettelse
for aa slippe aa leve mer
Endelig ut av livets reim

No skal ein gut faa koma heim
bloedende

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Taake's song "Velg bort livet" describe a bleak and dark atmosphere. The singer talks about a black night with a bloody shadow coming out of the wall. The scene is set with a needle-less bird on a grass roof, speaking backwards at nightfall, as the winds blowing stronger suggest an impending storm. The song paints a picture of desperation, with the devil lurking on the doorstep. The unpleasant and bitter reality is a cold, harsh truth with no hope of sunshine in sight. The pain of the world is witnessed by the singer who is exhausted, with the devil lurking at his door, knocking to come in.

Line by Line Meaning

Det var svart det var natt
It was dark, it was night

En blodsoet skygge ut fra veggen
A bloodthirsty shadow from the wall

Naalys fugl paa gresstak
Naked bird on the grassy roof

taler livet baklengs naar det kveldes
speaking about life backwards when evening comes

og det blaaser til storm
and blowing towards a storm

Et skittent under
A dirty underworld

Kald sterk sannhet
Cold strong truth

uten sol
without sun

Foredlet smerterus og kroppslig svinn
Refined pain and bodily decay

Djevelen paa tunet ville gjerne inn
The devil on the doorstep would like to come in

Kullkastet
Overthrown