Taake are one of the most recognisable names in Norwegian black metal, with Ørjan Stedjeberg, known as Hoest, the only constant face since 1993. The band is coming to Greece for Darkness Guides Us 2027, which returns after eight years and will take place from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 September 2027 at Dicheimarro Voiou, in the mountains of Kozani. Their presence gives the three-day festival one of its heaviest names.
“`From Bergen
Taake started in 1993 in Bergen, when Stedjeberg — then using the alias Ulvhedin — formed a project with the drummer Svartulv called Thule. There followed the demos «Der Vinterstormene raste» in 1993 and «Omfavnet av svarte Vinger» in 1994, until the name changed to Taake and Ulvhedin took the alias Hoest, which means autumn in Norwegian. In 1995 came the demo «Manndaudsvinter» with session singer Dim, and in 1996 the 7-inch EP «Koldbrann i Jesu Marg». That same year Svartulv left and Hoest remained alone behind the project.
The band’s name means mist, and from the start the sound was tied to the place. Rain, mountains, forests, old farms of western Norway: part of the music, not decoration around it.
The trilogy
Between 1999 and 2005 Taake released three albums regarded as a trilogy, tied to the themes of death, Norway and the evil inside man. First was «Nattestid ser porten vid» in 1999, recorded in 1997 and 1998 at Grieg Hall in Bergen, with session musician Tundra on bass and drums.
Second was «Over Bjoergvin graater himmerik» in 2002, a title that refers to Bergen’s old name, Bjoergvin. Third came «Hordalands doedskvad» in 2005, for Hordaland, the old county Bergen belongs to. Throughout the trilogy the lyrics were in Norwegian and printed in runes.
After the trilogy
In 2008 came the self-titled «Taake», which Hoest recorded entirely on his own and released through his own label, Svartekunst Produksjoner. From then on he opened up the sound without losing its core. In 2011 came the EP «Kveld» and the album «Noregs vaapen», with guests Attila Csihar, Nocturno Culto, Demonaz and Ivar Bjørnson.
On «Noregs vaapen» you can also hear the band’s most talked-about «foreign» instrument: a banjo, on the track «Myr». He never turned the sound into something else, but he added a stubborn character of his own. Then followed «Stridens hus» in 2014, «Kong vinter» in 2017, «Et hav av avstand» in September 2023 and «En skog av nidstang» in July 2026.
The controversies
Taake’s path has also been accompanied by fierce controversy. In March 2007, at a show in Essen, Germany, Hoest took the stage with a swastika painted on his chest. The reaction was immediate and the band’s remaining German shows were cancelled. Hoest stated that Taake are not a political Nazi project and that he used the symbol as a provocation, in the spirit of punk, not as a political stance.
«Noregs vaapen» was nominated for the Spellemann, Norway’s most important music award, and the nomination was heavily criticised for lyrics judged anti-Islamic. In 2018 a planned US tour was cancelled after a campaign against the band, and Hoest has said that Taake were never a racist band. His name has also occupied the Norwegian justice system: he has served prison sentences for assault cases, in 2006 and 2007.
At Dicheimarro in 2027
Taake’s presence at Darkness Guides Us 2027 means the festival is bringing to Greece one of the most consistent and controversial names in Norwegian black metal, a band that has kept its identity for more than three decades. The three-day event will take place from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 September 2027 at Dicheimarro Voiou, in the mountains of Kozani, with 30 performances and limited capacity. For a festival built entirely on black metal, Taake show what tradition means when it refuses to stand still.
See also
Darkness Guides Us 2027: Live at Dicheimarro Voiou (10–12 September 2027). Darkness Guides Us 2027: The 13 bands announced so far. Darkness Guides Us 2027: Taake, Akitsa, Minenwerfer and the 20 bands so far.
