INTRODUCING: Helfró
With a population of just under 350,000 people, Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. With such a low population, those involved in the country’s metal scene operate as a tightly-knitted community breeding creativity. It’s no secret that Iceland’s metal scene, particularly black metal, is of the highest quality. The likes of SINMARA, MISÞYRMING, SVARTIDAUÐI and ZHRINE are just some names which have put the spotlight on the small Nordic island. Despite not even having a debut record to their name, HELFRÓ are attracting onlookers, in particular label giant Season of Mist, which indicates that the duo are forging something spectacular.
“We were strict with ourselves in the creation of the songs, and had the highest standards when it came to recording and studio performance. As a result, we knew we would be able to get interest from some decent labels, but we were humbled and pleasantly surprised when Season of Mist showed interest,” explains Ragnar S, one half of the band, on how they signed with Season of Mist. “Immediately after signing, the gears started spinning and we’ve had a great working relationship with Season of Mist as we get the album ready for release.”
By signing with one of the world’s premier labels for extreme music, it indicates that there is something special at work here. Indeed, for a label to take a chance on a band with such a limited collection of previous material is a massive risk; especially in today’s hostile financial climate. That said though, the label’s faith is due to reap its rewards as their debut album looms on the horizon. Constructed as an ‘audio representation of the endless arctic darkness’, Ragnar explains how they channel the isolation found in such a sparsely populated country into their razor-sharp brand of black metal. “In Iceland, if you move out of the capital city, you can quickly find yourself completely alone. With barren landscape visible for perhaps a hundred miles, with barely any daylight, and the merciless exposure to frost and wind, it is inevitable to look at your inner self without filter or dilution. Any sombre emotion gets magnified and each sadness and heartbreak gets so much more inescapable. It is an overwhelming experience, and its contrast does not fade with time or age. This is the atmosphere I have done my best to channel into musical form.”
Although the project dates back to 2015 when Ragnar first started composing material, HELFRÓ are far from an inexperienced and young outfit. Between Ragnar and fellow bandmate Símon Þ, both share a wealth of experience within extreme music, something which has definitely benefited the pair when it came to crafting original music for HELFRÓ. “We are both into fast and technical metal. Although HELFRÓ is far from technical, I think we managed to create something that is relentless but at the same time diverse enough to keep things interesting. One of the goals was to do our own thing and break out of the overwhelming influence that dominates a lot of the current black metal scene. We enjoy it but we felt there was room for something that draws influence from a more diverse palette.”
Indeed, one of the many questions that will be directed towards HELFRÓ is how will the band stand firm against such mighty competition? Iceland’s black metal scene is arguably the most dominant sector of the country’s metal scene as of late, and whilst that will certainly help the duo grow in notoriety, Ragnar explains that with the scene being so small, there is only room for one dominant sub-genre, for better or worse. “From my viewpoint, the metal scene in Iceland is so relatively small, that it is almost like there is not room for more than one sub-genre at a time. We’ve had a strong hardcore scene that then gave way for a death metal scene that then gave way for the current black metal scene that managed to spawn bands of unprecedented ambition and success,” he explains. “I feel like Símon and I are products of the aforementioned death metal scene, playing together in the technical death metal band OPHIDIAN for years now. HELFRÓ is therefore not particularly a result of the relatively new black metal scene here.That being said, Icelandic extreme music is definitely mostly on the map due to the success of the black metal scene and that is no doubt giving HELFRÓ a greater chance to be heard than it otherwise would have. I have to recognise the success and dedication of the perpetrators of the Icelandic black metal scene, especially SVARTIDAUÐI who have through resilience for many years not faltered in their ambition to create music and image that demands due attention.”
Indeed, it appears that HELFRÓ have arrived at a perfect time to capitalise on the momentum of Iceland’s black metal scene. With their debut coming, it seems that for HELFRÓ, there will be no stopping the band taking their place amongst the country’s elite.
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