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Kvist > Demo > Reviews
Kvist - Demo

Demo - 85%

Lars_Stian, May 27th, 2022

So, I have already reviewed Kvist's sole album, and I wrote then - and I suppose I still stand by it - that it was a great album that had been sadly overlooked. But seeing that it has 11 reviews here on Metal Archives, I guess it is difficult to defend the idea that it is "completely overlooked". Nonetheless, it is an album I think is very good, and as such I was quite interested in looking at the band's demo. Now out of the four songs on it, I recognised all but one from the album, the song I didn't recognise being Mørk, Skjebnesvanger og Erotisk Lokkende. Judging by the title, it must either be really good or really terrible, I thought, and naturally I was quite excited to listen to it.

But once I started listening to the demo, starting with Forbannet være Jorden jeg går på, which I remembered from the album, I noticed that the production quality is.... bad. And bad quality has never bothered me, in fact I have often been fascinated by bad quality, it can make music feel very personal, which is the reason - I would guess - that I adore it. Listen to a song's demo compared to the final product, and you'll have the raw artistic vision of the artist, not the one that has been refined and turnt tame and domesticated on the proper album. But oh boy, if I hadn't heard the album version of the song, I really would have problems hearing what was played. When production quality is so bad it really is nigh impossible to even hear the music, it is a bit too much. Luckily, I felt like Mørk, Skjebnesvanger... was easier to listen to, luckily, and it, to me at least, seemed to stay good thence.

The two songs that really stand out, are the last songs, Svartedal and Vettenetter, particularly the latter. They are great songs, classic black metal songs, and one can describe them - and in fact the two remaining songs as well - with the typical black metal adjectives like "brutal" and "heavy" and "true" and whatever else it was, I must admit I have forgot it all. Either way, if you take a song like Vettenetter, it starts with a "riff" that sounds heavy enough, accompanied by fast-paced drums, and behind the heaviness, there is a melody that is very nice and beautiful indeed. I get the impression that throughout the song, a soft, beautiful, melancholic melody is hiding behind the wall of heaviness, that only dares slighty tread out of its hiding to show itself.

But is the demo preferable than the album itself? Is there any proper reason one should choose to listen to this rather than the album? Well, I suppose one should listen if one is curious to see the "back-history" of the finished album, to see if the songs are much different (they are slightly different, but overall almost the same, although the differences are definitely worth looking at). Those who really adore the album should definitely listen to this at least once, I would say, for there are some interesting nuances that are not included on the album. For instance, on Vettenetter, during the classic conclusion, there is here a lead guitar playing some sort of little solo that was cut out of the album version. I can understand the decision, it is somewhat chaotic to me, but not without its charm. I would not put one over the other, but it is a fun glimpse into how the song could have been, and there is also a little outro after the song that was removed, but this little outro isn't anything special, just ambient noises with a murder of crows screaming. It is somewhat atmospheric, but it isn't anything to write home about. And furthermore, the synth is a bit different, often playing a slightly different melody, and sounds a lot sharper, a lot more sinister and eerie, and I suppose that may be something that some adore, whereas me, I find it a bit too sharp in its sound, and prefer the softer and more subtle synth of the album version.

And of course, the biggest difference between the album and the demo, the lost, forgotten song, Mørk, Skjebnesvanger, og Erotisk Lokkende, which means "Dark, Fateful, and Erotically Alluring", more or less. Lots of words that sound nice, but ultimately it seems to me a filler song, and the title an attempt to make the song seem more interesting. Sure, it is an intriguing title, but I find that the song falls flat. I often get the impression that the fancier and better the title, the worse the song. Of course it is not at all a rule without exceptions, but I often find that artists try to compensate for a song they know is weak with a really good title, to make the score even. Well, perhaps I am being a bit harsh, and the song isn't bad, it has its moments, and I am sure many would adore it, but it just lacks that little extra. In fact, perhaps I am just spoilt by this band, as a song that is just good is disappointing to me, since I have such high expectations from this band.

But as mentioned, there aren't that many differences in terms of songwriting between the demo and the album. If you love the track that was not included on the album, then sure, you'll love this demo, and if you just want to hear the little nuances of difference, you'll have a bit of fun, although the differences are so minor that perhaps you'll be a bit disappointed by how finished the songs already were. But there is another reason why, in my opinion at least, one might prefer a demo over a finished album, and that can be some of the raw emotions captured within the demo that is lost on the proper album. If I may blaspheme for a moment and mention The Beatles - a song such as Strawberry Fields Forever is a lot, a lot better if you listen to John Lennon's earliest demos of the song. There are so many honest emotions, it is such a personal piece, it comes straight from the heart, whereas the final product had had all the raw emotions beaten out of it, and thus the demo is superior. Often for black metal bands, demos can sound "angrier", and hence is the "personality" that seems stronger. But this demo doesn't really sound any "angrier" or more emotional to me, it sounds identical but with worse production. The vocals seem the same here, a bit worse in fact, and the instrumentation is about the same, everything is quite identical, and the album has plenty of emotion and "anger", so I don't see this demo having the upper hand even in that respect.

But I have only compared the demo to the album so far - as I think is most relevant, because I doubt anyone will listen to this without already loving the album - but little of the music itself, I think. So to just quickly go through a bit: there is an eerie, sinister sound that is often adored by black metal fans and artists. It creates an image of death riding on a skeletal horse through a cemetery at night under the plenilune, ringing in the dance macabre. It has a raw, primitive, and brutal beauty, and as I mentioned earlier, the heaviness is always accompanied by a hidden tenderness, whose beauty is always kept an arms length away, but is ever present. It creates a demo that delivers on all the "heaviness" that any black metal lover could want, without just trying to be heavy for its own sake, and showing that there is undeniable talent behind each fast-paced riff.

Overall, I'd say I definitely prefer the album, but the demo, if not compared with the album, is definitely good too. I would recommend anyone who likes the album to give this at least one quick listen, and anyone who has not listened to the album, to start with the album first.

Extreme, primitive sounding creativity - 80%

AdNoctum, April 16th, 2006

To my opinion, Kvist is one of the best kept secrets of the (Norse) black metal scene. Unfortunately, they broke up before they could become more known, having released only one full-length album in the vein of, and certainly also at the same level as old Emperor and Satyricon. The demo tape that Kvist released some two years before the full-length truly suffers from the bad sound quality - a familiar problem in the (old) metal underground - but, on the other hand, contains some of the most musical and intelligent compositions that rose from the underground during the first half of the 90s. Three of the four songs made it onto the full-length album 'For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike', and actually it's not clear to me why the remaining song ("Mörk, Skjebnesvanger Og Erotisk Lokkende") did not. After all, 'For Kunsten...' only contains some 38 minutes of music and to say that "Mörk, Skjebnesvanger..." doesn't match the rest of the material is quite and exaggerated statement. One small mystery here... Anyway, it doesn't prevent the demo from rising to great heights - despite the lousy sound quality. Kvist sure had the capacities to become a big name in the metal scene, but, as said already, split up before this could become reality. In spite of that, their majestic album 'For Kunsten Maa Vi Evig Vike' and it's more primitive sounding predecessor remain for us to listen to in awe.