Icelandic Metal

Kontinuum – Kyrr Review

By Madam X on April 22, 2015 in 2015, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Candlelight Records, Doom Metal, Icelandic Metal, Non-Metal Metal Things, Not Metal, Post-metal, Post-Rock, Reviews, Ambient Metal, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Non-metal Metal Things, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, 37 comments

“The Kontinuum… continues! Not to be confused with the tech death band Continuum reviewed here by Dr. A.N. Grier earlier in the week, Kontinuum are an Icelandic band that plays a multifarious blend of dreamwave and post-rock/metal with some inviting and interesting gothic undertones.” Is Iceland becoming the next Finland?

Dynfari – Vegferð tímans Review

By Grymm on March 20, 2015 in 2015, Black Metal, Code666 Records, Icelandic Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 16 comments

“When it comes to selecting albums to review, I rely on a tried-and-mostly-tr00 method of meticulous selection that’s been proven to garner conversations around water bubblers and soda machines the world over: I sometimes randomly just pick shit from a list and think, “Okay, that’s cool. Let’s give that a shot.” Behold, today’s selection is Iceland’s Dynfari.” In the game of chance, you win some and you lose some. Are the odds in Grymm’s favor this time around?

Momentum – The Freak Is Alive Review

By Jean-Luc Ricard on February 5, 2015 in 2015, Dark Essence Records, Doom Metal, Icelandic Metal, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Doom Metal, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, 10 comments

“Iceland’s Momentum is a bizarre beast. Aside from having a name and logo more suitable for a caffeine-packed energy drink than a metal band, they’ve undergone quite a few changes in style since their debut demo.” With many style shifts under their belt, they did it again here. Tricky stuff.

Skálmöld – Með vættum Review

By El Cuervo on November 16, 2014 in 2014, 3.0, Icelandic Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Viking Metal, Viking Metal, 3 comments

“I dislike ‘Viking metal’ as a descriptor. It’s a vague term which alludes to lyrical content above the music itself. It can entail black or folk metal-derived darkness (Bathory), epic doom (Atlantean Kodex), raucous melodeath (Amon Amarth), and even power metal (Týr). Iceland’s Skálmöld falls somewhere between Amon Amarth’s melodeath and the galloping triple-axe attack of Iron Maiden, stopping off at black metal for its raw tone and dabbling in doom for its long songs. See, wasn’t that easier than just ‘Viking metal’?” It is easier, but then Wotan will smite us.

Sólstafir – Ótta Review

By Madam X on August 26, 2014 in 2014, Avante Garde, Icelandic Metal, Post-Rock, Releases, Reviews, Season of Mist, Post-Metal, 60 comments

“Ótta consists of 8 tracks, beginning with a representation of midnight, moving through each Eyktir in the day, coming to a steady close at what would be representative of between 9 pm and midnight. Hardly a riveting concept I grant you, but thought provoking nonetheless.” Usually it takes lots of SepticFlesh and blood to make Madam X swoon, but Sólstafir’s blend of heathenish melodic, melancholic post-metal and bizarre alternative rock seems to have done the trick in a big way!

Beneath – The Barren Throne Review

By Madam X on April 27, 2014 in 2014, Death Metal, Icelandic Metal, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 6 comments

“The Barren Throne sees us heading back to Reykjavík, Iceland for a re-boot of brutal tech-death band Beneath. You should remember from my last review, or not, that Beneath is built up from the dregs of some of Iceland’s top metal bands (Sororicide, Changer, Diabolus and Atrum) and a mere 2 years after the release of Enslaved by Fear and the loss of frontman Gísli Sigmundsson, they’re about to make an aggressive comeback.” Madam X assumes The Barren Throne, will she delight in causing heads to roll?