Norwegian legend ILDFAR unveils a new  anthem from his forthcoming offering, „Der ligger et Land“, to be released on CD via Purity Through Fire on April 12th. Steeped with mysticism and melancholic darkness, the title comes as a masterclass in traditional black metal from the depths of the Norwegian underground scene, surrounding the listener with a weightless ephemeral wall of folklore mystery and pure malice.

Norway’s Ildfar is  something of an enigma. The band formed all the way back in 1994, by vocalist / multi-instrumentalist Favn, but left behind only one demo in 2003. However, upon reactivating in 2018, Ildfar began blazing a trail of ancient-days Norse black metal with a quick succession of albums. So pure, so cold, this trio of records landed on such esteemed labels as Northern Silence and Wolfspell, but now under the banner of Purity ThroughFire, Ildfar is prepared to blaze a new “old” trail.

Immediately, Ildfar‘s fourth album distinguishes itself with the much-more-measured mid-tempo pace and, most strikingly, largely clean vocals. However, before any worries of a slackening of black metal ethos arise, one need only listen to Der ligger et land to understand that Favn is picking up the torch left behind by Isengard’s Høstmørke and expanding the (old, icy) canvas in compellingly new ways. To be sure, there’s plenty of Ildfar‘s previous, strictly-Norse fire here – just the recording alone evokes a solemn nostalgia for those forgotten realms –  but Favn is stretching apart those sensations in a manner that’s mystical, mesmerizing, and AMAZING. Also to be sure, there’ve been other sympatico souls who’ve likewise reinvigorated Isengard’s template – namely, the axis of LIK, Lönndom, and Ehlder as well as Sweden’s stalwart Grift – but Ildfar‘s songwriting here is noticeably more melodic, utilizing clean(er) guitars to stunning effect, and overall textures that suggest stargazing rather than forest-roaming.

Whatever way you arrive at “Der ligger et land”, it’s guaranteed you’ll be possessed to press “play” over and over again, luxuriating deeper into those textures and finding ever more new details with each spin. In short, Ildfar have delivered an unsuspecting masterpiece.

Tracklist:
1. Urgaard
2. Hjemkomsten
3. Under maanen
4. En svunnen tid
5. Vi minnes
6. Naar alt der svartner
7. Solen vekker dalen
8. Dom over hver en doed
9. Natteskygger
10. Der ligger et land
11. Voktere av tid
12. Svartsinn

Delve into the spell “Natteskygger” below: