Kaizers Orchestra
Ompa Til Du Dør

THE REVIEW

They are Norwegian. They sing in Norwegian. No, they are not black metal. As if that wasn't enough to intrigue you, here it is for you: these guys have that attitude that characterized the multifaceted works of Tom Waits, you know, he's done a little something as well.

 Let's start with a bit of history.

 The Kaizers Orchestra is a project developed by guitarist Geir Zahl and singer Janove Ottesen, who were later joined by Terje Vinterstø (guitar, backing vocals, percussion), Rune Solheim (drums), Helge Risa (organ, piano), and Oyvind Storesund (acoustic bass, replaced in 2003 by Jon Sioen). Now, if there's any Norwegian reader, please forgive me for the fact that my keyboard doesn't have Norwegian characters, so I have to write the names following my free interpretation, but let's continue.

  Describing an album like this is a real dilemma. Although the group presents itself as "rock," it is impossible not to hear the influence of folklore (which, among other things, is expressed through the mixed use of electric and acoustic sounds and a particular use of percussion), and the beauty of all this is that it results in an unprecedented mix of energy and delicacy, of extremely varied atmospheres and intentions, in a dynamic ups and downs that ranges from the ostinatos of the title track to much more subdued situations (the beautiful "Fra Sjafor til Passasjer") even throwing a bit of funk into the mix ("Dr.Mowinckel"); it should also be noted the great ability of these six Norwegians in counterposing a often cacophonous musical base with smooth and very catchy vocals, leaving a deliciously bitter taste. Moreover, the nice jumble of this album is also abundant: 52 minutes of music capable of taking you up, down, left, and right, tossing you around like puppets and keeping you from getting bored for the entire duration of the album.

 The album, which marks the group's debut back in 2001, was notably appreciated by critics and allowed the group to embark on an artistic journey that continues to this day, after four more album releases that I invite you to listen to (in addition to this one, of course). Oh, a small note regarding the audio quality: I think I heard, a few times, a tiny bit of clipping, but definitely not annoying.

 To sum up before I bore you: get the album, you definitely won't regret it.