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| Artwork by Karmazid. |
It's no secret these days that Iceland has become a Mecca of sorts for dissonant black metal, boasting a scene as majestic and impressively fierce as the natural landscape. A handful of obsidian giants have already established themselves as kings of this blackened dominion, and new contenders to the chaotic crown constantly crawl forth from the cracks and craters to claim this kingdom as their own. Andavald are one such force of rising Icelandic fury, and their debut album Undir skyggðarhaldi is an impressive bid for the throne, indeed.
Much like their fellow countrymen, Andavald craft metal that's as delirious as it is dark, somehow harnessing the sounds of Hell itself to inflict pure black carnage on an undeserving world 37 minutes at a time. Discordant scales and a fittingly harsh atmosphere engulf the listener, offering little respite throughout the album's 5 tracks. Think 'Dodecahedron on hallucinogens' and you'll be heading in the right direction.
Speaking of Dodecahedron, the last time I heard vocals so monstrous and convincingly unhinged was on Kwintessens, courtesy of the deeply missed Michiel Eikenaar (RIP). Vocalist Axel Jóhannsson's tortured shrieks fit the demented atmosphere of Undir skyggðarhaldi like a dead skin mask, simultaneously blending in naturally with the music as well as standing out with their unsettling intensity. When tracks like "Afvegaleiðsla" or "Hugklofnun" reach their respective fever pitches, Jóhannsson brings a level of ferocity that is every bit as charged and violent as the surrounding instrumentation. Fans of all things discordant are sure to be particularly pleased by this impassioned, psychotic performance.
While the vocals are downright inhuman in their violence, the rest of Andavald churn out dissonant black metal that's decidedly more tame than the typical output of their fellow countrymen... sort of. While not so safe and serene as to be sonically similar to, say, Sólstafir, Undir skyggðarhaldi largely utilizes much more restrained tempos and pacing than what one might expect from Icelandic black metal. Everything erupts into pandemonium eventually, but Andavald take their time getting there. Essentially fusing the pacing and oppressive atmosphere of doom metal with the absonant black fury that has become the sound of their nation and creating something devastatingly different.
Undir skyggðarhaldi may not make you bang your head incessantly, but it will transport you to a place of constant euphoric rage all the same. This is the cacophonous clamor we've come to expect from Iceland, made all the more captivating and calamitous by its creepy exuberance and keen sense of patience. A slow burning grease-fire of the mind, this album is a deranged marriage of brooding hostility and pure unbridled psychosis. With this debut Andavald have issued a fierce challenge to the hierarchy of Iceland's burgeoning black metal scene. Your psyche may not thank you for exposure to such restrained wrath, but your ears and soul will.