Fortíð – ‘Dómur um dauðan hvern’ (2022)
Rating: 9/10
Release: 18 November 2022
Label: Lupus Lounge
Viking/Black Metal act Fortið (Icelandic for ‘past’) has given us a two track EP bringing forth more darkness from the shores of Iceland. The band has evolved both musically and lyrically since conception, taking a different musical direction similar to Enslaved and Satryicon. ‘For’ starts with a Bathory style into then turns into a bombastic blend of melodic black/death/folk metal with droning vocals adding depth to the harsh and clean vocals. ‘Fimbulvetur’ (a harsh winter, the great and awful darkness preceding the end of the world as written in the Prose Edda) opens with a soft guitar with a chorale opening segment, then turns into some jazzy bass with melodic guitar. It is easy to see that they are going beyond the realms of metal by infusion of various musically styles. As the song progresses it comes back to a more melodic metal passage with again harsh and clean vocals reminiscent of some later Opeth albums. Sprinkled in are short lead riffs and time changes that keep the listener engaged. Overall I like the atmosphere they paint with these two tracks. Musically they are on full display of their ability to play and arrange music. The only thing I don’t like with this EP is that it is only two tracks, after listening, it leaves me wanting more. Perhaps that was their intention. I highly recommended for fans of Enslaved, Thyrfing, and Falkenbach.
Tracklist
- För
- Fimbulvetur