Origin: Reykjavik, Iceland 🇮🇸
Genre: Death / Black Metal
If one were to wonder just what it is that lurks behind the eyes of the criminally insane, he would only have to delve into the reports, their interviews and their confessions. Or perhaps he should take a listen to HELFRÓ’s forthcoming LP, “TÁLGRÖF”. There’s little to be known about this record unless you speak the language and even the promo kit was vague as to what’s really happening here. Upon interviewing HELFRÓ visionary Ragnar, I was taken aback to learn:
“The songs delve into the mindscape of a sick individual and what might be going on inside their head. It’s a delicate subject and that’s why the press release description is so murky.”
~Ragnar
I had expected something more along the lines of what constitutes true Icelandic black metal. The scene is burgeoning after all: mysterious, occult-driven and unique but for HELFRÓ, it’s neither here nor there. Transcendence is the move apparently and this comes as no surprise as bands within the blackened metal circuit are usually up to two things: old-school or transcendence… Yawn. Fortunately, for HELFRÓ, their music stands as a beacon of world-class talent; a powerful gust of Icelandic innovation over the scene that once taken in will have your head spinning. Compelling songwriting and complex compositions/arrangements are what tear this duo from the bone of the black metal beast. That and an astute death metal IQ that’s produced one of the most finely blended death/black metal records in “TÁLGRÖF” that I’ve lain ears upon in recent memory.
There’s more of an emphasis on DM influences on the forthcoming record when compared to its predecessor and that’s more-than-likely due to the classic death metal concepts that are explored therein. Thematically reminiscent of Carcass’s “Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious” but musically a different monster altogether. From the heavy Entombed worship of “Fláráð Fræði” to the Monstrosity-heralding tech approach taken in “Þögnin Ytra, Kyrrðin Innra”, an orgiastic feast for the extreme metal junkie. But of course the real beauty of the recording lies within its many stunning black metal parts: fluttering tremolo riffs, complex yet ever-so-fluid compositions and just the unbridled sinister of it all. I wouldn’t call it transcendence. With “TÁLGRÖF”, it’s more a matter of HELFRÓ simply being in a league of their own; of a masterclass when it comes to adeptness and vision.
With each track clocking in at under five minutes and considering the jaw-dropping superlatives contained within this volume, you can expect to be engrossed throughout its duration. Some otherwise scarce melodic passages to be savored in “Sindur” as well as the following track, “Ildi Óhreins Anda” but they’re naturally overshadowed by the sheer brutality of the experience. Percussion like thunder: imposing and ruthless but air-tight and crisp as autumn breeze. Jackhammer blasts and eviscerating double-bass currents that promise to shake the foundation of all you thought you knew about death and black metal.
Imagine if Dimmu Borgir cut a death metal record or if Revocation cut a black metal record and then you might be somewhere within the vicinity of what transpires during “TÁLGRÖF”. Undeniably decadent and overindulgent? Absolutely but not in a pretentious way. With “TÁLGRÖF”, a message is being sent to HELFRÓ’s fellow purveyors of the extreme arts as to how AHEAD of the curve a group should have to be in order to stay relevant in what’s become a rather maligned blackened death metal sub-genre. “TÁLGRÖF” is slated to drop tomorrow (12/1) via the renowned Season of Mist.
9/10
Experience “Fláráð Fræði” from “TÁLGRÖF” right here as presented by Season of Mist:
~Jeger
