Taake is a Black Metal band from Bergen, Norway. It was formed in 1993 by Ørjan Stedjeberg (pseudonim Hoest) under the name Thule, changing it into it's current name two years later. Musically, they follow the footsteps of their national contemporaries, but with some melodic influences and a slight grooving Hard Rock edge to their riffs, sometimes landing them the label "Black'n'Roll".
Main discography:
- Nattesid ser porten vid (1999)
- Over Bjoergvin graater himmerik (2002)
- Hordalands doedskvad (2005)
- Taake (2008)
- Noregs vaapen (2011)
- Stridens hus (2014)
- Korg vinter (2017)
- Et hav av avstand (2023)
Tropes:
- Ambiguously Bi: Hoest once made out on stage with Niklas Kvarforth from Shining. Knowing them, it could have just been a stunt, but no one knows for sure.
- Cover Version: Taake recorded covers of other bands' songs, e.g. "I Am the Black Wizards" by Emperor and "Die When You Die" by GG Allin.
- Deliberately Monochrome: All cover art and band photos.
- Epic Rocking: Typically 3-4 songs per album qualify. On Hordalands doedskvad every song does, as well as on Korg vinter with the exception of the first one. Et hav av avstand is the most extreme example so far, being comprised of mostly 10+ minute songs, the longest one being 13 minutes.
- Face on the Cover: Hoest's face adorns the cover of every full-length.
- Foreign Language Title: "Taake" is the old spelling of the Norwegian word "tåke", meaning "fog". Likewise, all album and song titles and lyrics are in Norwegian.
- Grim Up North: Not as prominently as with some other Norwegian black metal bands, but still present. Check the music video for "Nordbundet"
, for instance. - Harsh Vocals: Hoest sticks to a rather typical black metal high-pitched shrieking style.
- I Am the Band: Hoest, the sole constant member and songwriter.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: On the first three albums, every song is named after the album it comes from followed by its number in the track listing in a Roman numeral (e.g. "Nattesid ser porten vid VI").
- Instrumentals: Each album barring Taake, Noregs vaapen and Et hav av avstand contains one.
- Large Ham: Already present on studio material, but Hoest really hams it up during live shows.
- Refuge in Audacity: Things like painting a swastika on his chest (in Germany, no less!) and wearing a t-shirt with a crossed-out Islamic star and crescent symbol. According to Hoest himself, those were not supposed be political statements, but were used merely for the sake of provocation (as "the pentagram and inverted cross don't invoke reactions anymore"), and has since apologized for them.
- Rule of Seven:
- The band's name is reportedly a patriotic tribute to the fog that surrounds the seven mountains at Hoest's hometown Bergen.
- The first seven albums are made up of seven tracks each.
- Stage Names: Hoest himself, as well as most of the past and live members.
- Subdued Section: Used fairly often, usually in the form of a lone guitar riff playing for a short period of time.
