REVIEWS OF NONANTHROPOGENIC (CD 2003)

LORDS OF WINTER
Rating: 7.5 / 10

Combo formé le temps d’une trilogie composée de 28 titres, dont le présent disque fait office de genèse, V:28 nous présente un Dark Metal assez particulier, où riffs accrocheurs, simplicité calculée et ambiances glaciales chargées de becquerels font loi. Du fait que le duo formé par V:28 ait été remarqué et produit par le claviériste/programmeur de l’explosif Red Harvest, personne ne s’étonnera de l’atmosphère industrielle et mécanique qui émane de ce convaincant premier Opus.

Royalement servi par une production qui ne stérilise pas les instruments, mais les rend au contraire présents et organiques, Nonanthropogenic est une suite de compositions prenantes, dans lesquelles foisonnent couplets planants et breaks éthériques.
Une introduction lorgnant vers le bruitisme malaxe et prépare les tympans de l’auditeur à l’explosion de l’écrasante Dead Shining Star, titre tout à fait représentatif du son général de l’album, c'est-à-dire de gros riffs immédiatement mémorisables, simples mais diablement efficaces, breaks durant lesquels des frissons nous parcourent l’échine grâce au piano lointain et aux mélodies lancinantes des deux guitares, se complétant parfaitement.

Si les influences musicales s’orientent clairement vers le Black Metal, le Death Metal et le Thrash, la mouvance industrielle a également son mot à dire ici: un morceau purement Dark Ambient (de 46 secondes, mais soit…), une batterie électronique bien équilibrée, que les musiciens eurent le bon goût de travailler de façon à ce que le son ne soit pas trop artificiel (mis à part sur Purity, dans laquelle un beat techno pointe le bout de sa dub), une thématique lyrique post-moderne et apocalyptique, un usage bien pensé de samples divers, comme par exemple un monologue du fascinant film Pi, des éléments digitaux discrets mais furieusement à-propos, mais aussi et surtout des atmosphères qui vous cryogénisent le sang, contrastant avec le son presque chaud des cordes. Les vocaux, fantômatiques et pesants, sont rugis mécaniquement et de temps à autres, comme sur Dead Shining Star et Purity, doublés par la voix tantôt claire, tantôt grunt de Grutle Kjelsson, qu’on ne présente plus.
Mais bien que pullulant de titres inspirés à vous faire dresser le vit, comme la majestueuse To Be Tuned, The Human Element, The Fall Of Science, et Dead Shining Star, il faut bien admettre que, le disque, sur sa longueur, aura une fâcheuse tendance à lasser l’auditeur du fait d’une trop grande linéarité dans les tempos et les compositions.

Mais qu’à cela ne tienne, V:28 a accouché ici d’un bon disque, intelligemment composé, qui tient franchement la route et qui offrira de grands moments de mélancolie épique, parvenant à transmettre malgré une apparente simplicité musicale une complexe et étendue palette de feelings à son heureux possesseur. Et quand on sait que malgré un évident très bon niveau, cet album ne comprend que les 10 premiers titres du parcours prometteur du duo norvégien, le plus palpitant reste donc à venir !

(He Who Sleeps - 08/05/2006)

NOCTURNAL HORDE
Rating: 8 / 10

This Norwegian band has a lot of fuzz going on around them, after the release of this, their debut album, they have gotten a good deal of fans and has been received fairly positive around the world. Heavy, melodic and atmospheric death metal, spiced up industrial effects and various samples, to round of the sound picture. Vivid paintings of death, despair and frustration is how the musical output ends up.

At first the music is very hard to get into, I have lost count of how many times I have found the album, popped it in the player and removed it after it ended, with me left behind with an empty feeling. Though as time has passed by, and I have listened to this CD an insanely amount of times, it has grown a lot and has manifested itself as a strong album. The compositions are built upon the varied and well sounding drum-machine, the patterns are not very predictable, we are served all from quiet passages, to furious kick drums and more machine-like paces. The guitar tracks are often cold and melodic, with a gripping epic touch, which hooks the listener and keeps the interest held. There are some really good and noisy guitar ideas once in a while and some good leads as well. The industrial spheres there are added works really well with the atmosphere that the music invokes in the listener, and adds the last piece of coldness and eeriness at times. The different samples used for intros and other places as well works great together with the concept of the music, and aren't annoying as such often can be, they compliment the music and compositions very well. Though it happens once in a while that the momentum are broken, by a twist in the music or a break of some sort, and I think that was what made it hard for me to get through the album in the start, though as time goes, those breaks serves as small "breathers" and actually starts to make sense. The dark more or less snarled growl works really well in the universe of the band as well, and adds yet a dimension to the many-facetted music.

If you give this album the needed amount of spins, it will reward you greatly and give you many hours of pleasant listens. Cold melodic, yet catchy and brutal at times industrial death metal, telling tales of a bleak future, tales that can be felt in the heart and seen in the mind, while the music unfolds itself.

METALEAGLE
Rating: 8,5 / 10

Although this is not exactly a new album, we´ve just got hold of it and it´s so good that it definitely deserves presentation. Post black metal may be yet another meaningless term in music but somehow it completely describes the philosophy of the band. Their roots seem to be in the black metal tradition of their country, but they enrich their music with quite a few death metal elements, cleverly used synthesizers and electronic parts and some totally haunting melodies. Vocals are something between the death and black metal styles. Another great thing they achieved was that though they use only drum-machines, they have an exceptionally good sound. Although not exactly industrial, they certainly view that particular genre favorably. Technology is indeed a big part of the band´s concept (as the album´s title reveals). The 10 tracks of "NonAnthropogenic" are the first of a total of 28 tracks that will complete the concept of "the total deconstruction of the Earth" as the band claims. The album was produced by RED HARVEST´s LRZ and another notable appearance was that of Grutle Kjellson (ENSLAVED) who did some vocals for the songs "Dead Shining Star" and "Purity". V:28 are one of these bands that show the public that Norway still has a lot to offer in musical innovation and quality. The more you listen to this album, the more you get drawn to its atmosphere. With the band having scheduled the release of the second part of their trilogy sometime in 2005, the future seems decidedly bright for the duo. They´re just waiting for you to discover them.

Kostas Diamantis

VENTRILOCUTION ZINE

Norwegian two-piece playing Industrial-laden Black/Death. Ring a bell? Yep, Limbonic Art copycatism to some extent. Of course there is more to this Arendal duo that outlines Grutle Kjellson’s (Enslaved) cameo and LRZ’s (Red Harvest) production work. Curiously (or not), the aforementioned bands are also the 2 other main influences for V:28 (formerly named V:O:I:D) the latter on the apoc-industrial themes and the former through the slightly more adventurous prog Metal avantgardisms. NonAnthropogenic is the first output of a 3part saga on the downfall and deconstruction of the planet, whose follow-up is scheduled to May 2005.

So what does the yet another robot-named act sound like? Well, songs are pretty much speed-picked riff based, with programmed drums providing the foundations. Whenever keys appear, they further underline the Limbonic liason, yet with none of the Wagnerian mastery Morpheus & Daemon delivered, but instead mild background atmospheres that generally don’t enhance the musique that much. Risdal’s rasp is tremendously irksome and unidimentional, whereas Oustad’s songwriting does also fall a bit short. Interesting moments can be spotted when V:28 decide to delve onto more experimental glares, namely the sporadic sampling/ FX (which should definitely see more use!) and more so on the occasional XXI-century Enslaved-inspired prog-isms. These do come as worthy additions, lifting the palette over the rather overdone riffing (more detuned chord grooves would be a welcome change from the picked-riffing) and melodicism, and I reckon the band will grow if they understand this and at the same time mature their writing process. Sounding cold and life-detached is cool but not an end in itself.

The cold-ambient intro™ lays path to “Dead Shining Star”, one of the highlights and the sole track featuring Grutle’s clean voice; the other track on which he participates is all death-growled, which ultimately serves the purpose of reducing the main vocalist’s own weak delivery. “Perspective” brings sampling from Aronofsky’s independent ’98 flick Pi, which works well in setting atmosphere and again replacing the rasps; the longest & strongest song, “Zero Nothing”, displays a clear will to end the album on a more epic and apocalyptical note, which also does succeed. The songs are usually mid-tempo, and the drum-programming sounds triggered but is never used in an overly artificial fashion (Mysticum, Limbonic…) , and LRZ’s production is balanced and clear.

The main issue with V:28 is they’re heinously generic. Meaning neither sheer crap nor chill-causing audition. The thing is NonAnthropogenic will aseptically pass you by, not leaving a bruise on its wake. The futuristic concept and artwork were indeed promising, but the band does but confirm a tendency for this style of music being somewhat sterile, as if the half-machine section of the band sucked the soul out of the human equation, whilst these did little to take advantage of its potentialities. Not bad, not good either: you won’t regret its listening to the same degree that you won’t hold it in yer braincells for long. Let the 2 nd part of the canvas arrive.

Bruno A. [04/2005]

SHAPELESS ZINE
Rating: 8 / 10

I V:28 si sono formati nel 2002 ad opera di Kristoffer Oustad ed Eddie Risdal. Il gruppo è nato dalle ceneri dei V:O:I:D. Il concept che sta alla base di questa band è curioso. Ostili alla conoscenza scientifica e a qualunque forma di esistenza naturale ed imperfetta, i V:28 si sono fatti portavoce di una nuova era di entropia totale, anticipatrice "decostruzione" della vita così come la conosciamo. Insomma, si tratta di un'idea apocalittica talmente esagerata da risultare ironica.
Nell'aprile del 2002 i V:28 hanno pubblicato il loro primo demo: "Time Is Empty". Solo un mese dopo la band ha debuttato come spalla agli Enslaved. Sin dagli esordi il duo ha fatto uso della drum-machine ma, verso la fine del 2002, i V:28 hanno deciso di reclutare un batterista: Børre Iversen. Con questa line-up la band si è esibita in concerto con i Red Harvest ed i Cadaver Inc. ma, poco tempo dopo, il batterista è stato invitato a lasciare la band per divergenze artistiche.
Nel 2003 i V:28 hanno pubblicato un promo di tre canzoni. Nel giugno dello stesso anno i V:28 sono entrati nello studio Subsonic Society per registrare l'album di debutto "NonAnthropogenic". A settembre, l'etichetta americana Vendlus Records li ha messi sotto contratto. "NonAnthropogenic" ha visto la luce il 31 ottobre 2003. Tra le ultime notizie va segnalato il concerto dell'aprile 2004 in compagnia degli Arcturus.
Dal punto di vista grafico "NonAnthropogenic" si presenta molto bene. In copertina è raffigurato un paesaggio vuoto, senza vita, con un cielo scuro e verdastro sullo sfondo. Al centro dell'immagine compare quello che sembra un cartellone pubblicitario sul quale è rappresentato un uomo col volto celato da una maschera a gas. La stessa immagine compare sulla back cover, solo che al posto dell'uomo compaiono i titoli delle canzoni. Il libretto è di otto pagine a colori. Esso contiene i testi, le foto dei musicisti (coi volti dipinti in stile mimetico) e tutte le note relative alla registrazione. Alcune frasi ad effetto sono state stampate qua e là, e possono dare un'idea dell'universo concettuale dei V:28: "una vista in un'esistenza morente", "V:28 - La voce della decostruzione innovativa" e "sei abbastanza umano?".
Kristoffer Oustad, il compositore principale, si occupa delle chitarre solista e ritmica e della programmazione. Eddie Risdal è invece l'autore delle vocals e cura sia le parti di basso che della seconda chitarra ritmica. La produzione è stata curata da LRZ (Lars Sørensen) , già tastierista e programmatore dei Red Harvest. Ospite d'eccezione è Grutle Kjellson degli Enslaved, che presta la sua voce a due canzoni.
"Consumed By Schizofrenia" è un'introduzione breve ed inquietante che prepara il terreno per "Dead Shining Star", una delle tracce più datate dei V:28. Essa era infatti già presente nel demo "Time Is Empty". La prima parte di questa canzone è piuttosto pesante grazie ai riff di death puro suonati da Kristoffer e al growling devastato di Eddie. Si ha l'impressione di trovarsi di fronte ad un brano death tradizionale se non che, all'improvviso, la traccia rallenta e si fa più melodica ed atmosferica. Quando ritornano le vocals, "Dead Shining Star" ha assunto ormai le caratteristiche tipiche del death melodico. In seguito la canzone riprende dall'inizio con qualche variazione. Le note solitarie di un piano concludono, sfumando, questa traccia d'apertura. Grutle Kjellson dà il suo contributo a "Dead Shining Star" con alcune vocals pulite verso la fine del brano.
"The Human Element" conferma quella che è una caratteristica tipica di questa band norvegese: la contrapposizione tra melodie suggestive e il riffing poderoso e pesante delle chitarre. La drum-machine è programmata in maniera ottimale, tanto da poter essere apprezzata anche da chi (come me) preferisce i batteristi in carne ed ossa. La struttura di questa canzone, tesa e drammatica, non è molto complessa: il suo sviluppo è lineare. I V:28 suppliscono con la creatività alla mancanza di complessità. I riff vengono trasformati a poco a poco, in una ricerca di soluzioni sempre valide.
"The Human Element" sfocia nella successiva "To Be Tuned". Il brano è aperto dalle meste note di un piano. L'intervento delle chitarre è distruttivo come al solito. La lentezza di "To Be Tuned" rende palesi le cadenze doom tipiche del songwriting dei V:28, già presenti anche se meno evidenti nelle canzoni precedenti. Questa traccia è piuttosto corta ma è sufficiente a dimostrare il talento dei due musicisti nello scrivere buone canzoni.
Le stesse atmosfere oscure e malinconiche sono presenti nella successiva "Perspective". Anche in essa il ritmo è piuttosto lento, la struttura lineare e la melodia evocativa. Nella lunga sezione centrale sono presenti dei campionamenti vocali. Gli elementi elettronici sono sempre presenti ma il loro utilizzo, drum-machine a parte, è piuttosto garbato. Essi vengono utilizzati per enfatizzare determinati passaggi o per dare quel tocco di cibernetico in più alla composizione.
"Everything But Life" è un intermezzo ambient della durata inferiore ai cinquanta secondi. "Soldier Of The Neverending War" ricalca in parte le soluzioni musicali già sperimentate con "Dead Shining Star". Il growling di Eddie è più cattivo del solito, sorretto dal nervoso riffing delle chitarre. Si tratta di una traccia valida, di facile presa, che si fa notare per la naturalezza dei passaggi tra le varie sezioni. La melodia è avvincente, oscura e distante. E' necessario spendere una parola sull'arrangiamento. I V:28 hanno un suono molto particolare, non violentissimo ma altamente evocativo. I musicisti sono in possesso di un gusto raffinato che trova la sua espressione più completa nella tristezza di fondo delle melodie.
"Purity" è una canzone oscura e malvagia, death fino al midollo ma che nasconde in sé un germe di black. Le vocals sono tutte curate da Grutle Kjellson, che si esibisce in un growling profondo e potente, molto diverso dal timbro che è solito usare negli Enslaved. In "Purity" sono assenti le parti più atmosferiche a cui i V:28 ci hanno abituati. In compenso la componente melodica rimane immutata. Un'ottima prova.
In "The Fall Of Science" ritornano i suoni più sintetici. Anche in questo caso il death strisciante e lento dei norvegesi è leggermente infettato dal black. La traccia si sviluppa in passaggi severi e potenti ed altri più ossessivi. L'avanzare deciso e meccanico della composizione è marziale: certe scelte stilistiche non possono che riportare alla mente i Samael.
Le chitarre di "Zero Nothing" creano un muro sonoro veramente impressionante. In essa si può cogliere un riassunto di quello che i norvegesi ci hanno fatto sentire nel corso dell'album. Un lavoro di chitarre potente e rigorosamente controllato, una drum machine ottimamente programmata, grandi melodie sintetiche, atmosfere malinconiche contrapposte alla brutalità delle vocals. La lunga coda strumentale mette in maggior evidenza le qualità di arrangiamento degli artisti, che danno l'illusione di evocare sentimenti umani. In realtà essa non è che la bieca copia ricreata da una macchina.
"NonAnthropogenic" è un gran bel CD di debutto. Sebbene lo stile dei V:28 non sia affatto innovativo è innegabile che questo album si fa notare per la bontà del songwriting. Ogni canzone ha una sua personalità, entra in testa ed appassiona. Questa non è una cosa da poco, anzi! Lettori di Shapeless, tenete d'occhio questi V:28: uno dei nomi nuovi della scena metal norvegese. "NonAnthropogenic" può essere acquistato direttamente dal sito della Vendlus Records.
(Hellvis - Agosto 2004)

NOCTURNAL CULT

Having never heard of this band I didn't know what to expect.  But as I began to explore this musical soundscape of black influenced death metal I was taken aback.  The way the riffs flow in a staggered wash is great.  I know this isn't an accurate description but it's just the words that suit me as to what I am hearing.  The transition the guitars make from the heavy death riffs into the expansive contemplative riffs that exude class and atmosphere is flawless.  Dead Shining Star is a prefect example of this sort of transition/combination.  There is a sense of sorrow mixed in with the heaviness on display here.  On the track Perspective they start out with a sample of the movie "Pi" which is one of my all time favorites. (If you haven't seen it, do it!)  The use of this movie is an insight as to the themes that the music embodies.  The music operates on an intellectual level that transcends both time and space.  Eddie Risdal's vocals border on black metal but are a little too deep and guttural to be considered such.  LRZ does a great production job that combines both an organic and sterile feeling to the music.  I know this sounds like a contradiction but if you listen to the music you will understand what I mean.  Also they use a drum machine but it is not blatant like say, uuuhhhhmmm… Mysticum.  I usually can't stand drum machines so it was a good choice to make them sound almost human.  Heh heh.  The packaging is kind of futuristic without being too far out there.  For some reason this album puts images of deep space in my head.  It has that desolate kind of feel to it.  This album will appeal to both black metallers and death metallers alike.  Had I known about this release in 2003 it would have made my top 5 for that year.  That's how impressed I am with this album.  So go out and get it. 

VAMPIRE MAGAZINE

V:28 was founded by Kristoffer Oustad and Eddie Risdal in the spring of 2002, and rised from the ashes of their previous band V:O:I:D. V:28 is a half-human half-machine band, with an apocalyptic and cold atmosphere to it. The concept of the band is based upon a prophecy about the deconstruction and transformation of Earth, thereof the V:28 - the voice of innovative deconstruction. The first V:28 demo "Time is empty" was recorded in April 2002. In addition to this, V:28 played their debut concert as support for Enslaved in May 2002. Later the same year a drummer, Børre Iversen, joined forces with V:28. And a support concert for Red Harvest and Cadaver Inc. was played with this line-up in October 2002. But due to different interests in further developements V:28 split with the drummer, and returned to the use of programmed drums. Well, so far in short the history of V:28, now it's time to go a bit deeper into "NonAnthropogenic".
The album starts with "Consumed by schizophrenia", a futuristic sounding intro which, in my eyes, reflects the emptiness of space after the worlds deconstruction and it really sets in the right mood for this destructive album.
The first regular track, "Dead shining star", is cold sounding postmodern blackmetal with deathmetal influences and one might think; "what the hell is that?". Well, expect a combination of Zyklon, Mindgrinder and Forlorn (during their "Hybernation" era). V:28 knows perfectly how to transform their deconstructive concept into cold sounding metal. Great melody lines and recognizable rhythms are used so already at the first listen you'll be grapped by the music. My compliments for the use of the drumcomputer as well as it is used the right way and it gives the music an even more machine-like touch. One of my personal favourites is "To be tuned" with mid-paced yet extremely heavy rhythmguitars and the second half of that track sometimes remind me a little bit to an older Asphyx track, although I have to admit this sounds more machine-alike. "Perspective" is one of the other highlights with spoken words taken from a sample used along low sounding grunts which gives this track an extra dimension....really great!
I won't go deeper into the other tracks as this album is a must for everyone into extreme metal and I even think the new generation of metalkids will find something recognizable in this album. To me personally "NonAnthropogenic" already belongs to my list of best albums in 2004!!!

CRIMSON DEATH

How many bands do you know that make it on their first attempt? An offering so deadly you won't believe it's a debut. Behind V:28's NonAnthropogenic stand two men, Kristoffer Oustad, responsible of guitar duties and programming, and Eddie Risdal, in charge of vocals and guitars. Guiding or misguiding both is LRZ of Red Harvest, producer of this album and guest appearence by Grutle Kjellson from Enslaved on two songs. V:28 are menacing since 2002 and their first appearence was with the mighty Enslaved.

What V:28 play is black/death metal with electronic and progressive moments, aligning stars and tricking listeners into thinking they are listening to only one thing, where infact they play MANY things, and all are executed not unlike the bands mentioned before, great, to be short on words.

Second track Dead Shining Star proves them to be proficient on both me(n)tal and odd slow moments. This can't seriously be a debut, can it? Track five titled Perspective has samples from Darren Aronofsky's Pi. The guitar and programming skills of Kristoffer O. are superb. Eddie Risdal's vocals and guitars are worth many a mention too.

Beyond the layers of black/death riffs also lies a strong industrial infuence, like played by machines, or inspired by ones. Expect chaotic sounds, riffs that sound like Death. Nordic black metal styled guitars, programming of electronic inferno. Track 9 - The Fall of Science even ends with a Fear Factory touch/tribute/gesture.

The last song seems to be the title track, without carrying it, as it is the longest track and its purpose is to represent everything in NonAnthropogenic, making you expect the next one. Cybersonic terrorists? Death metal fiends? Pale words...

If this album was over-flowing with keyboards and not as guitar-driven as it is I would think it to be the next Limbonic Art album, if they would have not disbanded. At least my vision of it. Hateful, haunting, addicting. V:28 - NonAnthropogenic is out on Vendlus Records. If you ever needed a reason to listen to "cyber black metal", "progressive death metal" and other so called myths maybe this review made you decide to do just that.

ROYAL CARNAGE
Rating: 8,5 / 10

I’m always skeptical of these sort of things. V:28’s “catch”, or “marketing gimmick” if you will, is the fact that Grutle Kjellson of ENSLAVED performs vocals here and there. Wow, excuse me while I call my local mall’s “music” store and reserve myself a copy... Am I hiding my contempt for these “instant credibility” deals? I love ENSLAVED just as much as the next frost-demon but these sort of things annoy me – even though their selling-point might be their guest vocalist, a band with a selling-point like this automatically makes me wary. Why the need to have goofy marketing ploys if the band itself kicks large amounts of ass? In short: going into this thing, V:28 were in a position where they would have to prove their credibility to me. And did they?

Every track offers it’s share of mid-paced grooves, fluid songwriting and overall seamlessness. Most of the songs follow the same formula and, because of this, seem to run together at times. However, it also means that every track is a standout and that the album is coherent as a whole. Take your pick... although, I must add, NonAnthropogenic never gets boring. It may pass by unnoticed after first listen, like it did me, but after listening it to it a second time while high on cold medicine and driving, it simply blew me away. It’s definitely a “grower” but not necessarily difficult to get into. And how can you not like an album that uses samples from the film Pi?

Intricate, yet simple. Overall: excellent.

WALLS OF FIRE
Rating: 3,5 / 5

I’m having the feeling that during the last few years the apocalyptic theme has been temporarily put back on the back burner. The number of albums influenced by the somber perspective lying in front of world’s sore existence, have been decreased considerably. But here they come now, suddenly out of nowhere, the Norwegian newcomers V28, appearing with something like a complete, carefully built and detailed concept about those withering prospects, bringing back the feeling about how real all this could be. Their debut album NonAntropogenic, launched not long ago by the young American label Vendlus records, has been represented like only the 1st part of a 28-long (!) track collection. /If it’s still not clear, the number 28 has some symbolic and very important meaning within the whole concept, about which you may learn more at V28’s web-site. / Of course it’s all been centered on the same ‘cheerful’ idea about the inevitable total deconstruction of Earth /oh boy, sometimes I wish they stopped reminding me every now and then/. The album was produced and recorded by a worthy to mention person; this is LRZ from Red Harvest, who was deliberately chosen by the band. Probably, this could already ring some bell about general direction of the work but it would be only a half of truth. I mean that despite all the indications you may have initially got, V28 are not a Red Harvest clone. Of course they are still digging a similar musical path, conveying, you know, that remarkable Cosmic Coldness. But on the other hand these guys make their own way in songwriting, especially when it comes to build some special moods and grooviness. The release-info says their style is ‘Apocalyptic Black/Death’ but in my opinion, the ‘black’ part here gets just symbolic meaning and even the honorable presence of Grutle from Enslaved in 2 of the tracks doesn’t change it significantly. The death-component, however, is better presented, slightly reminding me of bands like Bolt Thrower or the German precious discovery, Disbelief: you know, that sort of rumbling underneath sounds, packed in mid-tempo tight tracks, which you may simply file in the ‘War metal’ folder. Yet on this battlefield there’s been masterly woven some lighter synth parts, which throws the whole thing, from time to time, in more atmospheric dimensions.
Maybe I wouldn’t point right to this band if an example of originality and innovation should be given, but I would fairly distinguish them for attaining a perfect mood for their record, something that grabs you at once and wouldn’t let you go until the end.

Angela

THE PLAGUE

Despite the odd, alternative looking cover, this band is actually a quite heavy, dark one, with some solid, chugging riffs over semi-industrial structures.  Hailing from Norway (I believe), this two-man outfit creates a pretty healthy racket that only occasionally slides into ennui.

The mix of electronics and heavy guitar often means yet another Ministry or Rammstein rip-off, but V:28 really do carve out their own niche with this one, leaning more towards the realms of Dead World and God is LSD.  Not perfect, but good stuff nonetheless. 

[Daniel Hinds]

IMPERIUMI
Rating: 6,5 / 10

V:28 koostuu kahdesta jäsenestä, joista Kristoffer Oustadin harteilla lepäävät soolo- ja rytmikitarat, sekä koneellisempi puoli, tarkoittaen lähinnä rumpuja ja koskettimia. Eddie Risdal hoitaa rytmikitaroita, basson ja puoliksi murisevat, puoliksi rääkyen esitetyt lauluosuudet.

Yhtyeen musiikillinen visio on tuottaa jonkinlaista death metallin tapaista, hyvin suoraviivaista sellaista ja lisätä siihen päälle sitten omia, jopa eteeriseksi laskettavia melodioita. Varsinainen avauskappale, Dead Shining Star, on kerrassaan komea pala, kuten levyjen ensiraidat usein harhaanjohtavasti ovat. Ja harhaan tässäkin tapauksessa johdetaan sikäli, että levyn taso putoaa eteenpäin kuunneltaessa. Vaikka mitään katastrofaalista pudotusta ei tulekaan, on avausbiisin ja muun enimmän materiaalin välillä selvä ero.

Kappaleet ovat pääasiallisesti hitaita, korkeintaan keskitempoisia ja yksinkertaisia, ja omalaatuisen melodisia. Niissä ei viljellä mitään koukkuisia sovitusratkaisuja tai teknistä kitarakikkailua, sen kummemmin kuin monitahoisia kappalerakenteitakaan, vaan pikemminkin V:28 luottaa runsaahkon toiston voimaan. Sinänsä reseptissä ei mitään moitteen sijaa olekaan, vaan ennemmin kritiikkiä antaisi hiukan tylsähköjen sävellysten suuntaan, mutta myös hengetön rumpukoneen pauke pistää välillä korvaan. Lisäksi aavistuksen verran kiusaa yksi jo mainitun Dead Shining Starin melodioista, sillä siitä tulee jonkin verran mieleen Paradise Lostin As I Dien alkumelodia.

Kaiken kaikkiaan kyseessä ei ole mikään hassumpi tuttavuus, mutta siihen se kyllä vähän jääkin. Kyllä tämän kuitenkin voi hypnoottista fiilistelyhetkeä varten aina silloin tällöin hyllystä esiin kaivaa.

Marko Saarinen, 04.03.2004

HIGH WIRE

Combining Black Metal with bleak futuristic soundscapes, V:28 has created a world of somber brutality that is highly original and innovative. Based out of Arendal in icy cold Norway, the compositions created within the confines of NonAnthropogenic are chilling and apocalyptic. V:28 is comprised of two musicians – Kristoffer Oustad, the deconstructing engineer and Eddie Risdal, the mindexpander. This dynamic duo performs all the instruments and a good deal of the vocals. A guest appearance by Gruntle Kjellson of Enslaved may be found on the tracks Purity and Dead Shining Star. While Black Metal continues to run it’s somewhat predictable course, it’s great to see bands like V:28 taking the genre into even greater heights, hinting at an all-new form of isolation and malevolence. Subtitled A View Into A Dying Existence, NonAnthropogenic is a stunning masterwork whose disturbing visions and aural manifestations will remain within your senses for years to come. Another grand Norwegian discovery!

AVERSIONLINE
Rating: 6 / 10

Hmmm… I'm unsure what I make of this Norwegian duo. Their brand of "experimental" (to some light degree) metal blends programmed drums and some orchestral synths (in a toned down, atmospheric manner) with distorted guitars and snarling vocal screams. The tempos are moderately paced and have sort of a driving Bolt Thrower sort of rhythm going on, with some nice uses of delay and reverb over the melodic lead lines giving an earlier Paradise Lost sort of vibe to some of the passages - though oddly these guys really sound nothing like either of those two bands in the least! There are definitely some doomier influences at work, and perhaps a little bit of black metal in theory, but I'd say this is fairly unique in its own right. As far as the sound, I'm not that into it, and I think that's one of the key problems I'd cite with this CD, because from a songwriting standpoint I quite enjoy much of what they're doing. The drum machines could be far, far worse, but they're still too thin and clinical to add to the band's bleak and rhythmic approach. The guitar tone is also a little unnatural and lacks warmth, so even if they were sort of going for that more electronic/industrial style (which they haven't reached in either case), it really doesn't fit the nature of the songs or their emotional impact. The vocals and the lead lines sound fairly good, though the bass is very hard to pick out. The synths aren't 100% effective either, because the actual sounds, be it piano, strings, drones, etc. are often more of a mid-grade quality than I would expect from a band that seems to be fairly focused. I definitely enjoy listening to these songs, portions are a little weak, and there's not necessarily enough variety between tempos and riffing approaches, but I do enjoy most of it. And for those who may be interested, Enslaved's Grutle Kjellson provides some guest vocals in a few tracks. I'm not that into the layout. It's professionally handled as far as print quality and such, I just find it visually unappealing. The text is clean, so that's fine, but I find the manipulated road signs to be a little lame, and the band photos are inexcusably cheesy (two guys wearing ratty clothes and covered in dirt and camouflage face paint making silly "sneering" faces and shit), so the overall appearance sort of slips below par. The lyrics do nothing for me either: "Earth, To destroy the earth, No life, no hope for the future of mankind, In nothingness…" Not bad as a whole. I'm interested, I'll say that. I could see this band reaching far more impressive heights than this with some further progress.

Running time - 44:23, Tracks: 10
Notable tracks: Dead Shining Star, To be Tuned, The Fall of Science

THE METAL OBSERVER
Rating: 8 / 10

Boasting an appearance by ENSLAVED's Grutel, as well production being handled by LRZ of RED HARVEST fame managed to peak my interest in V:28, but I had mixed feelings upon hearing the final result. The potential was clearly there, but there was something that seemed off about it.

Subsequent listens, however, proved to be worthwhile, and slowly, V:28 revealed it's true form, as a dense, brooding Black Metal, that, while still not perfect, is definitely on the right path. The production makes the songs on “ NonAnthropogenic” so thick that it feels as though there's a great weight pressing down on you throughout the duration of the disc.

The image that I'm presented with when listening to this album is always that of lone functioning machine out in the middle of a post apocalyptic wasteland. For some reason, it managed to withstand whatever destroyed everything else, and just charges along. Despite the lifelessness, and the stark mechanical feeling there's a cynical sentiment underlying the disc, which comes through in general with the help of the occasional guitar melody, as well as the yet warm, foreboding piano work.

Although at times it feels as though V:28 can just be drudging along, “ NonAnthropogenic” is a promising debut, that with a little time and effort will definitely suck you in.

ULTIMATE METAL FORUM

V:28, formerly known as V:O:I:D, play futuristic death/black metal, with cold synths, melodic riffage and programmed drums. These help create industrial leanings, which amplify the cynical feel present throughout . The vocals of Eddie Risdel are, for the most, part a death growl, while his guitars, along with those of Kristoffer Oustad rely on melodic, black-metal orientated rhythm work. This is accompanied by some more death orientated riffge. Both hold a considerable amount of melody, making for memorable songs, while Eddie’s bass is a solid low end. The programmed drums are fitting in the modern sound, as is their precision, adding to the detached cynicism of the apocalyptic lyrics. As is to be expected, the production is of a high standard, with LRZ from Red Harvest being the responsible party in this case. There is also a guest appearance from Enslaved’s Grutle Kjellson on two tracks.

“Nonanthropogenic” is the first in a trilogy of albums documenting the apocalypse, and as such the music has a dark edge, which is very much in the style of old-school black metal. The modern elements and well chosen samples intensify this, and make for a solid, if not groundbreaking, release. With well written songs and high-quality execution, many fans of contemporary extreme metal will enjoy V:28’s efforts.

WORM GEAR ZINE

Norwegian Black Metal based around the idea of the deconstruction and transformation of the Earth is what we have here. This is a two man project that also features guest vocals by Grutle of Enslaved on two tracks and was produced by LZR of Red Harvest. Now that the mandatory run down of contributions from members of other established acts is out of the way, let's see what V:28 sound like eh? The music is steady and driving in the mid to fast tempo range with a dark melodic element, and some moodier breaks that slow things down. There is a pretty warm tone to the guitars, and some nice hooks in the riffing that make the tracks engaging even before you have familiarized yourself with the record. The
vocals have a nice rasp to them, and are on the fuller and deeper end of the BM vocal spectrum, the drums are programmed, it's done quite well, but could stand to sound a little "bigger", and they throw in some samples here and there as well. In the end I think "Nonanthropogenic" is a solid album, a good album, but I don't know if it's necessarily distinct enough in a flooded scene to differentiate itself. There are some really good tracks here, but they may blend into the scene a little too much to really thrive.

(Scott)

SATAN STOLE MY TEDDYBEAR

V:28 is obviously made up of the "cool" kids of their scene since they were somehow able to convince Enslaved's Grutle Kjellson to contribute some backing and even lead vocals on their first full length album, NonAnthropogenic. That sort of pull will certainly thrill the cheerleaders on the sidelines. But aside from that particular guest star appeal (whose contributions aren't exactly wildly dissimilar from their own vocal approach), V:28's luminance is going to be determined solely by their recorded effort, which falls into the area of "good, but could definitely be better".

NonAnthropogenic is a the result of a two man band, both of whom assume multiple duties for recording. Their style is a mixture of black metal and a bit of the rolling, plundering death metal of the likes of Bolt Thrower. In fact, the fluid, meandering riffing reminds me very much of later Bolt Thrower. The band utilizes a drum machine for rhythm, which somewhat provides a cold mechanical feel (whether by intention or not is the question). Keyboards are used as punctuation marks and an extra coloring tool, but do not overpower the music. The CD is consistent from beginning to end, which can also be read as a lack of variety in songwriting approaches. It is a good thing that V:28's core sound isn't all that bad, but by the end of the CD one wishes that they displayed more variety in their songs. Everything segues together quite seamlessly, but many listeners may feel it blends too much to allow distinction.

Despite some of the drawbacks, NonAnthropogenic is a fairly enjoyable album that, at the very least, sets the stage for more interesting future releases from V:28. The band displays plenty of potential and a solid foundation. Let's hope that they expand upon it.

Review by John Chedsey

MUSIQUEMACHINE.COM
Rated: 5 / 5

The subtitle of this album is A View Into A Dying Existence, not the first musical depiction of earth’s apocalypse you’d say, certainly in the post-black metal genre in which V:28 operates.

The Norwegian duo (Kristoffer Oustad and Eddie Risdal) made a concept spanning over 28 songs to be released over three albums, some sort of ‘3 part meta-album’ (where did I hear that before?), the first ten presented on their debut NonAnthropogenic. On their site the band elaborates on the meaning of 28 and to me it seems the concept revolves around the end of organic lifeforms and the mechanized, artificial, ‘NonAnthropogenic’ lifeforms taking over the earth in a way unlike human genetic evolution (thus the title). I doubt if something made by man can surpass (be more ‘perfect’) than its maker, but it’s a concept fitting the apocalyptic cyborgmetal on this silver disc.

On first listen the music appears to be somewhere inbetween Zyklon and Void (the British band, not V:28 themselves who were called ‘V:O:I:D’ in an earlier stage) slower and less ‘death’ then the first but more straightforward than the latter. The music is heavy but spatious, with plenty of room for electronic ambience. Relatively simple constructions with lots of atmosphere which might not seem that special on first listen but after a few spins the music really starts to grab you. The impending doom starts to appear in the clouds of dark synthsweeps, the pounding drummachines (they already parted ways with their drummer before the recording), grinding guitarriffs and mean blackmetallish vocals.

The album was produced well by the band and LRZ from Red Harvest and Grutle Kjellson from Enslaved dropped by for vocal assistance on two tracks. Like I said: give it a few spins before drawing conclusions, NonAnthropogenic grows on you like corrosion on a rusty cyborg.

METALREVIEW.COM
Production: 5 / 6
Songwriting: 4,5 / 6
Musicianship: 4,5 / 6

It would be easy to say V:28 sound like Enslaved because of Grutle Kjellson’s guest appearance, but the truth of the matter is that V:28 do sound like Enslaved’s latter day work; if they took a bunch of acid, and built a giant rocket ship and went into the cosmos, red eyed and in a dream like coma, blasted of into the depths of the galaxy.

Spacey black metal is on tap here, but not full on futuristic whirring/beeping sample laden black metal like say Mork Gryning, And Oceans or Thyrane, but as stated in the opening paragraph; a deep, claustrophobic eerie take on progressive space themed black metal. I hate to repeat myself but Enslaved in space sums it up rather adequately.

Easy on the synth work, programmer/guitarist Kristoffer Oustad relies on strangely hypnotic riffs to carry the listener into the void, with the odd layering of subtle futuristic noise or sample for clever yet understated effect. The pace is normally slow, with the rare black metal blast beat, but the album mostly has drawn out, lengthy, dreamy riffs to convey its astral visage. And it does so very well. The vast emptiness of space and the deep unknowns of the galaxy are delivered perfectly and do indeed imbue the hopelessness of dead stars. To call this blackened cosmic doom, wouldn’t be a reach at all. To be truthful I haven’t heard anything quite like it, but those who have heard Source of Tide might get a similar insight.

Produced by LRZ from Red Harvest, the overall sound is suitably celestial, with an expected robotic mechanical pulse, especially when you consider the programmed drums. Tracks like “Dead Shining Star”, “Purity” (both featuring Kjellson), and “The Fall of Science” are robotic, chromatic orbs of continual sound. At its most effective though, the production on the sample laden (the movie escapes me) and vocal-less “Perspective”, one of the most mentally draining, yet absorbing and introspective six minutes I’ve been privy to in a while. Guitarist vocalist Eddie Risdel has a emotionless, monotone black metal scream, but it fits the music rather well, and is just another component of the machine. The album closer “Zero Nothing” is the only track that seems a little more focused on more speedy delivery in line with their cyber metal peers and doesn’t imbue the near emptiness of the album's other tracks.

The whole overall feel of the album just created an image of space wreckage floating silently among asteroids and nebulas, and if I were the drug using sort, this would be the perfect album to go outside at night, lay and watch the stars with my favorite mind altering substance, as like me, you will no doubt drifting among the cosmic flotsam as V:28 suck you in to their infinite void.

Good Stuff.

HEAVYMETAL.NO

V:28's bedrifter i extrem metal jungelen er vel kjent for de fleste som følger med utover metallens topp ti. Arendalsbandet har her levert ei skive som skulle vise seg å være relativt hard å knekke for meg. I intervjuet jeg har gjort med bandet, kan du lese deg til alt som er av nødvendighet for å bli kjent med duoen...eller du kan ta deg en tur på hjemmesiden for utfyllende saker og ting...

Nå er det skiva som skal i ilden, dog ikke bokstavelig...he-he...jeg har som sagt slitt litt med å knekke bandets formula, og det var ikke alle låtene som var like tøffe som de jeg falt for...litt monoton utvikling og en del låter som kanskje ble en tanke like er vel baksiden av medaljen... For medaljen er der, skinnende og fin. De klarer å skape en ekkel og apokalyptisk atmosfære som ikke kan avspilles uten å gi lytteren litt bevegelse i tankeavdelingen.

Denne storyen bak det hele; konseptet - som omtales i intervjuet (kommer snart) - er veldig flytende og ikke helt tilgjengelig synes jeg. Men fra det lille jeg har satt meg inn i det, tyder ting på at musikken og tekstene går hånd i hånd.
Jeg aner en liten blacktilnæring i V:28. Men jeg tror ikke de bevisst har gått inn for det. Dessuten er hovedvekten av skiva krampaktig naglet til en som nevnt atmosfærisks måte å presentere låtene på. Masse råskap og en inspirasjonskilde basert på de soniske voldtektsmennene i Red Harvest synes å være sterkt tilstedeværende når V:28 kreerer sine snutter...pluss en real Slayer attityde over det hele...
Jeg kan høre hele skiva i et jafs; no problem, men da må jeg ha annet å foreta meg. Jeg tør ikke dykke ned i kjernene og legge meg til med full fokus. Da er jeg redd jeg blir rufsete i kantene. Ikke det dummeste og verste komplementet det gutter? Dere etterlot i hvert fall en sterk reaksjon og et solid inntrykk på undertegnede. Men en plass denne skiva ikke fungerte for meg, var i bilen. Der kunne det fort båret galt av sted...he-he....ble fanget i musikkens rus...

Sum summarum - ei skive som absolutt bør sjekkes ut om du innehar et snev av nysgjerrighet mot musikk som skaper følelser og engasjement. Og sistelåta har blitt en liten favoritt...faktisk ga dette gitarriffet i starten meg et hint av Savatage...tror nok jeg er den eneste som linker slik ja...yeah!

(yjmetal)

LUNAR HYPNOSIS
Rated: 7 / 10

V:28 is a duo from Norway lead by Kristoffer Oustad and Eddie Risdal, whom as far as I know have no other bands past or present. V:28's music is a type of apocalyptic black metal with lyrics dealing with the destruction and transformation of planet earth. ‘NonAnthropogenic ‘is the first in a sage of three-planned CDs.

Musically this band is described as being apocalyptic black metal, but I suppose using such a moniker as this may confuse some people. So probably the simplest way to label these guys would be as industrial/atmospheric black metal. While listening to this the first band that comes to mind is Red Harvest, and it's probably no surprise why since LRZ produced the album. So I'm sure at some point in time his influence rubbed off on these guys. Of course I'm not trying to say these guys are a total doppelganger or anything like that, but the similarities are certainly there. What we've got here is a mid paced black metal style of playing mixed with grim vocals, and spacey/industrial like synth work weaving around in the background to create a unique atmosphere. Occasionally some samples are also used in the music, which they best display on track five ‘Perspective.'

While this is a decent album one of the things that seems to be lacking a little is the guitar work. It's not terrible or unoriginal by any means, but there just doesn't seem to be a lot of riffs that get stuck in your head after listening to the album. The vocals are kind of clichéd as well, but luckily Grutle from Enslaved adds his wicked voice to a few of these songs. The synth & industrial elements on the other hand are rather impressive, and through these extras the band truly manages to grasp the listener and take them into their dark world with no hopes of return.

When it's all said and done ‘NonAnthropogenic' is a decent recording and the band certainly has a promising future ahead of them, but they need to work harder on creating material that will fully seize the listeners ears. As I said in the beginning of this review the band is shooting for a three album concept, that I'm certainly interested in hearing all the way through. Let's see wait and see what the future brings for this Norwegian band.

(Blackwinged)

INDIEWORKSHOP.COM

The metal scene is in such an odd place. Nothing can just be straightforward anymore. Shticks that were reserved for more fickle scenes like rock and pop have seeped into underground metal. It makes it hard to even decide what is worth a listen anymore. It’s getting so overgrown with the rehashing of old material… over and over and over.

Well, not to say that V:28 are the answers to all your needs, but at least they are not the same old stab at heavy music. Being a duo, the band provides a programming heavy side of death metal. The scenes they paint are very “end-of-the-world” which is par for the course. The lack of live drums is kind of a downfall in my eyes. But for what they lack in live musicians, they more than make up for in compositional output.

Dark black metal tremolo melodies abound. Nicely weaving both guitar lines into a twisted wreck of malevolent harmonies. But it’s when they pull out of these passages to a huge crushing breakdown that a live drummer would have provided the power that lacks as is. But while I ponder the inadequacies of the whole drummer issue, V:28 drop some nicely programmed string arrangements and background noises to make me rethink my previous distain for the electronic element.

So here I sit, listening to NonAnthropogenic and still wondering which side of the fence I belong on. On one hand I’m jealous of the melodies these two have crafted into gloomy doom emanating from my speakers. And then on the other I curse this talented duo for not tracking down an equally skilled drummer to round out the sound.

So what is my final verdict? Hell I don’t know. And maybe that speaks volumes for this debut. It elicits true feelings from me, and just because I can’t place all of them, I can’t fault V:28 for that. They have created a metal album that makes me think and makes me ask questions. Whether it’s something I listen to down the road remains to be seen. But as for now, I’m sure this will be on my stereo more than a few times… if not just for me to fully digest it.

(Jake 01.07.2004)

SCREAM MAGAZINE
Rated: 5 / 6

V:O:I:D, as they used to be called, have grown to adulthood. The first time I listened to their debut album I didn't fall off my chair from blind admiration, I'll admit as much. But after a while the music on this record really takes hold. Mainly the guitar riffs do this, in an authoritative and highly persuasive way. The rotating riff patterns of V:28 are great to listen to, and at the moment I can't think of any other bands doing something similar equally good. Even though the basis of the songs is death metal, there are few bands within the genre that one could draw any direct comparisons to. The band has defined its own version of the style, where the cool metallic and somewhat distanced soundscape hovers like cold mist through the songs. The tunes have a nice and smooth flow without quick tempo changes or phony complexity, and the whole mood of the record is consistently “deadly”, from beginning to end. Even the drum programming works well on “Nonanthropogenic”, which is the first of three albums about the earth's destruction. I look forward to both the second and third terminal phases.

(AJ. Blisten)

V:28 “NonAnthropogenic” was #10 out of the top 10 of 2003 for AJ. Blisten's picks in SCREAM

MONSTER MAGAZINE
Rated: 3,5 / 6

The Arendal trio V:28 hasn't been in the game for long, but has already released a demo and is now out with their debut on American Vendlus Records. The band's death metal is quite massive and slightly industrial, and a lot of inspiration is probably found in Red Harvest and Aeternus. They have quite a few good ideas and cool riffs, but the drum machine is often distractive. Additionally, they have received help from Grutle Kjellson of Enslaved with some vocals, and the massive production is courtesy of LZR of Red Harvest. V:28 are on to something with this, but there's still a thing or two left before they have their sound down pat. More info on www.v28.com.

(Martin Kvam)