Misþyrming – Algleymi
3 min read
Band: Misþyrming
Title: Algleymi
Label: Norma Evangelium Diaboli
Release date: May 24, 2019
Country: Iceland
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording
Four years have passed since Misþyrming made their way into the black metal scene with their debut album Söngvar elds og óreiðu. For four years we have waited to see what more they have in stock, and let me tell you, after having waited patiently in my little rock that I call my home, four years have felt like four decades and the 24th of May was the date that the new album Algleymi saw the light of day. Eight brand new tracks were in stock with Icelandic names and lyrics to bask in and the joy was long-wanted.
What firstly struck with the introduction track Orgia was what a unit Misþyrming has become by now. The eerie start-out whips you into a tight and solid sound filled out with melodic riffs which continues well into Með svipur á lofti. Being an Icelander myself, I somewhat expected I would understand the lyrics, however, with a singer such as D.G. I was too focused on how I would cower in fear should I ever provoke him and have him yell in my face. By the end of the second track I was lost in the eerie-bell sound, the ghastly vocals, the atmospheric black metal, and all the other types that Misþyrming had managed to present already. Not at all unexpected, as they haven’t shied away from kicking things up a notch before, or change things around. Something for everyone!
Of course it doesn’t stop here. An instrumental track is not missing on this album, however different from the debut they have decided to settle for just one. And I for one have decided that Hælið will be played in the background shall I ever find myself treading down the corridors of a lunatic asylum after having been admitted. The cornerstone of the previous tracks has been thundering anger, however by now, despair has taken over.
D.G. proves himself as a tremendous vocalist over and over again. Surely there are parts I do understand of the lyrics but my focus was completely on how he manages to use his lungs to their full extend. By the end of Allt sem eitt sinn blómstraði, pretty much anyone shall have realized that high pitched vocals of normal black metal will never suit him. He screams because he means it!
As if all the different types of black metal hadn’t been presented in one way or another by the second part of this album, Alsæla brings on a certain rock n roll feeling in a more traditional BM track with nice melodies, while the final and the album title track Algleymi brings the album to an end with incredible sadness and hopelessness.
There is no denying that Algleymi is widely different from the debut album. Although still not afraid to switch things up along the way, the previous raw sound Misþyrming presented themselves with four years ago has developed into a polished and controlled work of art. Added keyboard sound puts a certain emphasis on the atmospheric genre while the tight guitar riffs and speed drumming bring forth the black metal we have been waiting for. Having seen them live for few times, I know these guys know what they are doing and their new work will be nowhere of a letdown. I myself feel pride in my country and the metal artists we have at our disposal, and this album from Misþyrming is one that no black metal enthusiast should let pass them by. 8/10 Julia
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8/10 To Greatness and Glory
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