Crave – Oblivion

Crave
Oblivion
Label: Battlegod Productions
Out: July 21^st, 2024
Playing time: 56:09

Guitarist Tron Sturle Aune and bassist Nils Morten Bietnes had known each other for many years and had already played together in several bands. In their search for comrades-in-arms, they found drummer Kjetil Krangsas and singer Jan Arild Rostad. If Facebook is to be believed, the band from Trondheim (Norway) was founded in February 2019, and the line-up has probably been stable since then. The debut album ‘Oblivion’ was released in July.

The album starts with the title track ‘Oblivion’. A successful rhythmic introduction to the album. With good riffs and a rhythm that gets your head bobbing. The riffs on ‘Baby’ sound rather menacing. Tends towards Epic Doom. The ballad ‘The Spirit Of Maze’ is particularly effective due to the gentle guitar sounds. Jan Arild Rostad’s vocals go well with this. ‘Fallen Angels’ opens with blasting riffs, which continue to push themselves to the fore. Later it is a strong mid-tempo song. It sounds like twin guitars on ‘Hole In The Wall’. A lot is possible in studio recordings, even with just one guitarist. A powerful bass can be heard again and again, accompanied by punchy drumming. The riffs of ‘Chain Reaction’ sound like they have been heard many times before. Nevertheless, they provide a heavy sound. The Norwegians also score points with a very melodic and, above all, longer guitar solo. On ‘In The Shadow Of The Moon’ you can hear a wavering Hammond, although the band doesn’t have a nominal keyboard player. This quiet song exudes a lot of blues atmosphere. An absolute highlight. ‘Watchdog’ starts quietly before galloping guitar riffs kick in. Things get bluesy again on ‘Through The Fire’. The wah-wah effect generator used here is not something you hear very often anymore. However, I am an absolute fan of it. The band could have used it more often. And the Hammond can also be heard again. Drums and a roar introduce ‘Apache Nation’. This riff-influenced, catchy Rock song introduces the final spurt of the album. Once again there is a melodic and filigree guitar solo. The tempo picks up again on ‘Sons Of Anarchy’. Drummer Kjetil Krangsas in particular drives his comrades-in-arms on. The closing track ‘Urge’ once again features occasional wah-wah effects. Plus, heavily distorted guitars.

A playing time of almost one hour can be exhausting. Not so with ‘Oblivion’. Varied songwriting and very good musical performance make it a lot of fun to listen to. And when you have such a blessed singer with a huge vocal range like Jan Arild Rostad in your ranks, there’s hardly anything that can go wrong. An extremely successful album debut from Crave.

Crave – Oblivion: https://youtu.be/xSqM1UAGXsY?si=afAkGFD6eKzquAXz

Lineup:

Jan Arild Rostad – Vocals
Tron Sturle Aune – Guitar
Nils Morten Bietnes – Bass
Kjetil Krangsas – Drums

Track list:

• Oblivion
• Baby
• The Spirit Of Maze
• Fallen Angels
• Hole In The Wal
• Chain Reaction
• In The Shadow Of The Moon
• Watchdog
• Through The Fire
• Apache Nation
• Sons Of Anarchy
• Urge