Djerv: Djerv

Feel like listening to some dark, powerful and straightforward rock music? Then Djerv's debut album (following 2010's Headstone EP) may be just what you're looking for.

Fronted by Agnete Kjolsrud, who could recently be heard on albums by Dimmu Borgir and Solefad and who is spitting charisma with every single word on this record, Djerv certainly is an interesting beast. It lures you into its cave with the energetic opener "Madman", watches you helplessly writhe on the ground as it unleashes the sharp hooks of "Headstone" and "Gruesome Twosome", and then leads into some deeper and more fearsome corridors of the cave with the likes of "Ladder to the Moon" and "Abmuse", only to release you, bruised, scarred and battered, back in the daylight with the last sounds of the mighty final track "Immortal" still ringing in your ears. But having been freed just when you were having most sadomasochistic fun, you will surely start creeping back into the cave right away, won't you?

Djerv may be a short album – it sports only nine tracks that clock in under 37 minutes – but there really are enough great melodies and Agnete's brilliant screams to keep you happy. The question is, though: do you like your hard'n'heavy music to occasionally pierce the speakers with some crafty guitar solos? And another question is: do you like your music to surprise you with each subsequent listen? If you answered "Damn yes!" to both, then you might have a bit of a problem with this record – because catchy and memorable as it is, it reveals all its secrets right away. You can expect to be caught screaming your lungs out to the choruses after just one or two listens then, but also to go humbly back to your Rush or Dream Theater soon afterwards to satisfy your musical explorer's needs.

In any case, it wouldn't be wise to dismiss Djerv just because they refuse to compose 9-minute long songs. This is one band that has "Future success" written all over it, honestly. I insist: do listen to this album so that in a few years' time you can be a smart-ass and say "I knew they were gonna make it back in the day when I listened to their debut release".

Line-up:
Agnete Kjolsrud : Vocals
Stian Karstad : Guitar
Erlend Gjerde : Drums

Tracklisting:
1 Madman
2 The Bowling Pin
3 Headstone
4 Gruesome Twosome
5 Only I Exist
6 Ladder To The Moon
7 Abmuse
8 Blind The Heat
9 Immortal

Added: April 21st 2012
Reviewer: Bartek Paszylk
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 2577
Language: english

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