It always amazes me that such an isolated and harsh country such as Iceland, with a population of around three hundred and fifty thousand or so, can produce so many extreme Metal bands. Obviously there is a great deal of crossover between bands but in the case of Reykjavik based Black/Death Metal band Ulfud, that cross pollination has been kept to a minimum. Following on from their 2018 EP ‘First Sermon’, Ulfud have finally unleashed their debut album entitled ‘Of Existential Distortion’, with the help of Dark Descent Records who will unleash this particular beast across all formats later this month.

This is an album with all the hallmarks of a true Icelandic Black/Death Metal release; a ravenous and raw aspect to the vocals, and a bleakly bitter and overly cold tone to the guitar leads. Nowhere else does the harsh surrounding environment impact a band’s sound quite like Iceland. That being said, this is a very well-produced opus and the sound is crisp and clear with just a little murk about the drums and riffs, just to add a tinge of darkness and gloom to proceedings.

Most notable on this album are the ferocious vocals that combine with the backdrop of ravenous drums and the constant drone of powerful bass tones to create a sound that is quite threatening and ominous. The guitar melodies that sweep and churn around the harsher riffs are also impressive. However as the album progresses I did find that my attention started to waver in places as there is little variance between tracks.

Overall though an impressive debut album and one that combines the bleakness of Black Metal and the power of Death Metal particularly well.

(7/10 Marksson)

https://www.facebook.com/ulfud

https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/of-existential-distortion