Tag Iceland
Iceland is home to a number of remarkably good bands, and here’s another in Kaleikr. Formed in 2016, this debut album is labelled as “black metal for fans of Opeth and Enslaved”. It’s evident from the beginning that “Heart of… Continue Reading →
Since the release of 2012’s ‘Flesh Cathedral’, Icelandic black metallers Svartidauði have been busy – amidst a plethora of live performances alongside the likes of Mgła and One Tail One Head, the trio have released three EPs and a live… Continue Reading →
Icelandic black metal outfit, Carpe Noctem deliver their second long player, “Vitrun” five years on from debut release “In Terra Profugus”. Their homeland has proved to be a haven for extreme metal of the highest quality and this disc finds… Continue Reading →
Formidable: that’s an interesting word. Fans of heavy music know that one of the finest attributes is the respect paid to the originators of the style. Sometimes the influences overshadow the originality and we slide into “retro” territory. Then bands… Continue Reading →
I’ve been lucky enough to experience Icelandic band Kontinuum’s two previous albums “Earth Blood Magic” (2012) and “Kyrr” (2015). Both are born of creative imagination, and whilst alternative, they are both accessible and colourful works. The music of Kontinuum is… Continue Reading →
Although they have been making music for a decade now, have toured the US and Europe and collaborated with Anneke van Giersbergen, Arstiđir are not that well known outside of their native Iceland. This might be due to the fact… Continue Reading →
What is even more shocking than Iceland’s recent rampant assault on the black metal scene (yes, we’re all still going on about it) is that it took so bloody long. I mean, sure Norway has the fjords and the mountains,… Continue Reading →
Iceland is fast emerging as a major power house in Scandinavian black metal, and while it has had plenty of bands boiling away under the surface, several of them are starting to burst into the forefront with a power which… Continue Reading →
So it might be the most sparsely populated country in Europe but over the last few years we have certainly seen an avalanche of ice and a geyser of fire as far as the music we love is concerned coming… Continue Reading →
I was lucky enough to review Dynfari’s 2012 album “Sem Skuggin”, a bleak and interesting atmospheric metal album. With a further album “Vegferđ Tímans” (2015) in between times, “The Four Doors in the Mind” looks at human existence and the… Continue Reading →
Árstíðir Lífsins brewed just as I like it: two 20 minute episodes of their saga-spinning craft delivered with the conviction and attention to detail you might fairly expect from a band whose work is genre-defining in a field of one…. Continue Reading →
Having just submitted a review of the fantastic Midgardsblot festival, I was asked whether I would like to continue my “Viking adventure” by giving a listen to Skálmöld’s new release ‘Vögguvísur Yggdrasils’. Of course, I jumped at the chance. Hailing… Continue Reading →