About 200 kilometers from the capital of Reykjavík and dangerously close to the small town of Grindavik, the entire population is preparing for the eruption of the Eyjafjörður volcano. The earth is shaking in anticipation of the eruption of the volcano, with nearly 2,000 earthquakes recorded in the capital region in the last few days alone.Almost the same thing is happening with Etna volcano in Sicily and many other places in the world…
The Gates of Hell, as volcanoes were once called, are opening with full force.
But with more than 120 volcanic mountains and 32 volcanic systems, only in Iceland one can see & feel that natural uncontrollable power and battle between the cutting cold and the fires coming out of the bowels, due to which the country is quite justifiably called the „land of fire and ice“.

And from this majestic land, in recent years, extremely atmospheric and harsh titles have come out, which leave us under the effect of quiet admiration.
In 2020, Icelanders Nyrst released their debut full-length album „Orsök“, and although I couldn’t immediately fall in love with its sound due to the monolithic use of melodic riffs, which are basically not to my taste and I’m not used to hearing in recordings from the Icelandic scene, at some point I was able to appreciate the musicians’ work properly and look at their songwriting in depth.

Unlike „Orsök“, their new full-length album „Völd“ is a different cup of coffee.
The album’s name translates to ‘force’, ‘power’ or ‘might’, and the artwork on the  cover features an active, erupting volcano – a beautiful natural scene that is simultaneously menacing, powerful and dark. Just like the nature of volcanoes, the nature of which the band here is undoubtedly inspired by  – even rehearsals and songwriting take place several kilometers from an active volcano, so that the musicians can authentically recreate the danger, chaos and power of natural unpredictability. Such is the core of ther new work.

“Völd” once again brings the melodic and beautiful ambient parts of the previous title, but here the musicians go into a new direction, incorporating many new elements and presenting a harsher and more ominous title than before.

Natural noises throw us into the deep roar of vocalist Snæbjörn, whose range grabs me by the throat right away. From low growls, reminiscent of a dangerous beast, the musician raises his voice in clean singing, still expressive and emotionally charged, further passing into sincere screams, all the while his voice is surrounded by cold fast-paced guitars and drums, and  at times by refreshing short melodic solos. This time the band definitely handles the tempos in an interesting way too, dividing the tracks into different sections creating a different feel – just like a sonic story that unfolds in front of the listener and makes them pay attention to the details.
Already with the first & title track  „Völd“ it became clear to me that this album was going to be really good and no compromises were made with it – an  interesting sonic  journey was going to happen, filled with the power and majesty of the cold frosty Icelandic nights and erupting volcanoes.

And this was confirmed.
As fast-paced and powerful as the first song, so inward-looking and sublime in its own way is the second, „Sundra skal sálu“, in which the tempo is mostly slower, heavier, and the atmosphere reads different moods of horror, fear, power – a dynamic that is very pleasant to listen to and presented in a fascinating way.

This brings us to the third song from the album – „Hrímvíti“. A song that lives up to its name in the first seconds. Snæbjörn’s vocals  sound  as if they are coming from another dimension. High-pitched screams drenched in fury, surrounded by pale choruses in the background and punctuated by cold guitars and rhythmic measured drum hits, building into more frenetic drumming and melodic solos.

With that said – “Völd” is a huge pleasant surprise for me and an album that I will definitely be listening to for quite some time to come and rediscovering in the future.
A whole seven pieces of enchanted Icelandic black metal, which you empathize with the musicians and through which you can imagine landscapes in real time – landscapes of pulsating lava, rumbling of the earth cracking in its bowels and freezing winds. A huge range of vocal techniques, masterfully written tracks, beautifully combining each of the instruments in a beautiful way – simultaneously melodic, atmospheric and raw. A volcanic ritual that is here to shake you and make you  tremble under its might.

Score:10/10

Hear the title track below:

Band: NYRST
Album: „Völd“
Release date: December 8th, 2023
Label: Dark Essence Records
Order link: https://darkessencerecords.no/shop