ULFUO - Of Existential Distortion review

 

ULFUO - Of Existential Distortion

Dark Descent Records

Here we have some extreme metal music from Iceland. Yes Iceland, a totally Nordic place known for their cold climate and occasional volcanic eruptions. Yeah an island country of ice and fire which is a perfect segue to this band's music.

This is the debut album by ULFUO, a five piece band, that started out in 2015 and prior to this had an EP titled First Sermon which came out in 2018. Musically this is basic blackened death metal but it has a few attributes which makes it kinda cool. 

Starting off we've got a vocalist, Breki Danielsen Imsland, who has an amazing vicious as well as thunderous sound. The guy can emit anger, pain and full on hate. Let's add to that note, musically ULFUO are creating some decent atmospheric BM stuff plus doom and a few examples of where modern BM acts have played their hand. 

Early on this album does take a traditional death metal role but mid way through the band's sound sheds the obvious and goes into some cool sounding extremities. "Faceless", the fourth track on here is where the band goes forth in exploring new sounds. The song "Gods Left Behind" is total black metal. 

In the end I think the latter half of Of Existential Distortion is the most exciting parts of the album. I mean there's some diabolical tremolo picked riffs matched with old school death metal riffing and then doom style picking. So yeah this alum starts off cool and ends amazing.

https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/

LISTEN HERE:

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

VOFA - Self Titled review

VOFA - Self Titled

Funere




I can honestly say that I'm not a musical connoisseur of Icelandic extreme music. Over the years I've heard some black metal, punk rock as well as experimental stuff. So yeah every once in a while something from there will cross my path that interests me. Here's something that I found to be alluring as in sounding familiar.


This is the debut release by VOFA, a band from Iceland whose members chose to keep their identity's secret. But the promo info does shine some light in that the band is made up of musicians who've been part of the local music scene (from various genres) over many years. Since the music here is well executed I think that's obvious.


Basically what you have here is a bunch of musicians coming together to create a three song funeral doom album. That's where the familiar part comes in. Now if you're into that genre and I'm friends with quite a few who are. Then this is something worth checking out. 


The three cuts on here are long, all a little over twelve minutes in length. No song titles it's just roman numeral designations for one, two and three. The music has that miserable melancholy feel as well as crushing pain and sorrow aspects. Yes you've heard it all before but for fans of funeral doom hey one more album of it won't kill ya.


https://funere.bandcamp.com/

https://funere.bandcamp.com/album/vofa

https://www.facebook.com/VofaDoom/

NARTHRAAL - Screaming From The Grave review

NARTHRAAL - Screaming From The Grave

Inverse Records




Normally I'm not interested in writing about something from the year before especially if it came out early the year before. But in this case I'm giving an exception since I'm working with this new Finnish label Inverse Records. Secondly this band is from Iceland and their ancestors discovered North America. Oh yeah and third it's old school death metal.


Screaming From The Grave is the debut full length by this Icelandic four piece. The band started out in 2012 and prior to this full length the band released two EPs. Now I'm not going to bullshit by saying I know so much about the Icelandic metal scene, like some hipster after a Google search. In all honesty I do remember writing about a black metal act from Iceland in the past but that's it.


The truth is while listening to Screaming From The Grave I'm thinking Swedish death metal circa 1992 - 1995. On one hand the band employs that fat Boss HM-2 sound but also injects some melodic touches. I'm reminded of what AMON AMARTH was putting out in the late 90s with their first two releases. I'd also toss in some obvious DISMEMBER worship as well. Check out their closing cut "Dismember the Entombed" for any further debate.


If I were some jaded asshole I'd probably knock this. But the fact is it's death metal like this which is my favorite style. I'd rather hear a band like NARTHRAAL doing it old school than some modern tech death act. Also the band nails it on the guttural but understandable vocals, the top notch soloing, real drumming and of course the riffs. Some thing else worthy is their song structure variety which displays plenty of tempo shifting that gives everything a feel of freshness as opposed to just copying the past.


Yes there are a ton of bands like NARTHRAAL out there doing the whole old school death metal thing. I should know since I have a shelf ready to collapse from the weight of LPs and CDs from those bands. But hey one more good one won't break mine or your collection. This is worth seeking out so you can blast it in order to destroy your neighbor's ear drums. Nuff Said.


https://www.inverse.fi/

https://www.facebook.com/inverserecords/

https://narthraal1.bandcamp.com/

REBIRTH OF NEFAST - Tabernaculum review

REBIRTH OF NEFAST - Tabernaculum 

Norma Evangelium Diaboli




There are times when black metal can sound so beautiful as well as harsh and decadent. This Icelandic one man band by Wann, aka: Stephen Lockhart an ex-patriot from Ireland, is a prime example of blackened beauty in music. Albeit it's not perfect but I'll get around to that later. First off lets explain who the mastermind behind the music is. Wann by all observations is a busy man. He first released a demo under the name REBIRTH OF NEFAST back in 2006. He also recorded a split release with the Irish band SLIDHR a few years later but moved to Reykjavik, Iceland and has been silent until now as far as this project goes.

He did keep busy though by creating the Studio Emissary recording studio as well as founding the Oration Records label. If that ain't enough he managed to put on two metal festivals in Iceland. He’s also responsible for producing, mixing, and mastering a ton of other black metal acts, too many to name. Plus he has some other black metal band projects he performs with. So I can love this release, aka: his comeback, but still I have one complaint. The overall sound is muffled.

Tabernaculum is an exquisite piece of black metal and doom with gaping valleys of atmospheric passages. It's like flying map of the earth (that's an Airborne term) on a journey to the mountains of madness. Whether it's the opening fury shown on "The First Born of the Dead" which lays into magnificent intricate blackened doom or the sublime "Alignment Divine" which lays out a grandiose plain of harshness, folk laden and doom.

Yes this is an hour's worth of dark path treading but the sound quality still pisses me off. Was this recorded in an ice cave? There's just that cavernous feel to it which I cannot stand. A cleaner sound would prevail. Oh well.

http://www.noevdia.com/

https://rebirthofnefast.bandcamp.com/album/tabernaculum

https://www.facebook.com/Rebirth-of-Nefast-120667561451734/