Fyrnask - Eldir Nótt

By Natalie Zina Walschots. Experimental black metal project Fyrnask is the monumental effort of one man, Fyrnd, and this second full-length release, Eldir Nótt, is deeply inspired by a sense of movement and change. At once generative and decaying, verdant and spoiled

By Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published here by Exclaim.

Artwork by Benjamin Vierling

Experimental black metal project Fyrnask is the monumental effort of one man, Fyrnd, and this second full-length release, Eldir Nótt, is deeply inspired by a sense of movement and change. At once generative and decaying, verdant and spoiled, Fyrnask musically explores the simultaneous potential for beauty and disgust in the natural world. A profoundly physical album, Eldir Nótt deeply investigates both the possibility of the sublime and the abject within the same living body.

The introductory track is practically vibrating with life, drenched in the scent of loam and petrichor, which is then blown away by the smoke and brimstone of the ominous "Vigil." The pulsing gentleness of "Suonnas Sedir" is resonant, even sensuous, while "Síaiða" writhes in unabashed agony. This is a rare album — penetrating and complex — one that attempts to translate flesh into sound and somehow, via an act of musical alchemy, succeeds.

Nebelung - Palingenesis

Written by Justin C.


On occasion, I review music that isn't metal, but is what I'll call metal-adjacent, like a ukulele album from Dysrhythmia/Gorguts guitarist Kevin Hufnagel. In that vein, enter Nebelung, a German dark folk/acoustic trio whose new album, Palingenesis, is being put out by Temple of Torturous, the label home to black metal wonderfulness like Fyrnask and Melencolia Estatica.

Nebelung features steel string and classical guitars, cello, accordion, and a handful of other instruments. Keen listeners will even hear a hammered dulcimer in the track "Wandlung," which readers of this blog might be familiar with as the unusual instrument of choice for one-man black metal band Botanist. Vocals appear infrequently, and when they do, they're barely above a whisper. The music is subtle and enveloping. It's impressionistic, offering suggestions rather than definitive statements. It's like taking an autumnal walk through the woods with ghosts as accompaniment. This isn't music that will make you sit up and yell, "DAT RIFF!" It's more like, "DAT TRANSCENDENTAL JOURNEY OF THE MIND AND SPIRIT!" Above all, it's just plain lovely.

I almost hesitate to describe them as "folk" at all, since that term often suggests a more traditional kind of music, maybe even backward-looking, if we're being unkind. Not that there's anything wrong with traditional folk, bluegrass, or the standard repertoire of classical guitar. They're all fantastic swaths of music, but as a classical guitarist, I can tell you that I've played on programs where I'm the only person performing music written in the last 50 years. There's no real reason for acoustic instruments to be relegated only to nostalgia acts, and Nebelung hits that sweet spot for me with modern, almost timeless music made on acoustic instruments. At times, their compositions sound like understated versions of what acoutic-guitar virtuoso Michael Hedges played. Like Hedges, Nebelung play music with tools that some people might think of as old-fashioned, but the results stand out in an unexpected and captivating way.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Note: If you want to support the band directly, Palingenesis is also available on Nebelung's Bandcamp page, albeit at a higher price.

Melencolia Estatica - Hel

Written by Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published here by Exclaim.


Black metal is often a solitary pursuit, as there's something about the gelid, tortured song structures and grim, isolationist themes that often draw artists who desire complete creative control. Sombre and atmospheric, Italian act Melencolia Estatica are primarily the work of a single woman, Climaxia (Absentia Lunae), who performs all of the instruments and is responsible for all compositions (with additional vocals from Afthenktos).

Hel's mood is grim and funeral, and the production complements this, sometimes as clear as a tolling bell, at others shrouded as if through a veil. It's also a concept album, following the narrative of Fritz Lang's 1927 dystopian opus, Metropolis, about the idea of a city transformed into a massive machine and a pointed critique of classism. The songs have a gritty greyness to them, as merciless as Metropolis's towering skyscrapers, and the churning pace evokes the misery of labour and hopelessness. This is a skilfully wrought and intelligent album, as wounding as it is well planned.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Fyrnask - Bluostar

By Natalie Zina Walschots. Bluostar is the first full-length effort from underground black metal band Fyrnask, following a demo they produced in 2010. The subject matter of the album is based upon popular black metal symbolism surrounding rituals and nature.

By Natalie Zina Walschots. Originally published by Exclaim.

Artwork by At the Ends of Earth Design

Bluostar is the first full-length effort from underground black metal band Fyrnask, following a demo they produced in 2010. The subject matter of the album is based upon popular black metal symbolism surrounding rituals and nature. While the guitars on most releases of this type are thin, cold and buzzing, the guitar tone on Bluostar is considerably warmer, almost seeming to vibrate, evoking a dragonfly's wings. The production is clean, if a little hollow, and very unforgiving, making the instruments sound a bit thin and weary, at times.

While their longer, aggressive, traditional black metal songs are decent, the shorter, moodier, ambient and atmospheric pieces, like "Eit Fjell Av Jern," are so much stronger. These are brooding and ominous, with rich, sumptuous tones. These numbers focus on the strength of the human voice, letting the instruments lift and amplify that power. While the vicious, venomous passages ring a bit hollow, when Fyrnask slow down, they create some strange, lovely soundscapes.