ALBUM REVIEW: Helfró – Helfró

It’s that time of year, again. The sun is starting to shine once more, in the frozen north the glaciers begin to melt and, unleashed from their icy tombs, the artists of the Icelandic black metal scene once more begin to show dominance over the genre. This time, there’s newcomers to the scene. Ragnar Sverrisson and Símon Þórólfsson, both coming from more death metal orientated backgrounds, have teamed up to take the Icelandic black metal scene by storm. With their new project, HELFRÓ, the duo are set to release a self-titled debut via Season of Mist. But can they bring a fresh flavour to the Icelandic scene, or is the unique style beginning to grow stale? 

Helfró eases its way into existence with the faded-in tremolo picking of Afeitrun, immediately establishing an unsettled atmosphere before the volcanic aggression erupts from the speakers. An evil melody runs through Afeitrun, establishing a strong sense of darkness and melancholy amid the blackened ferocity, while a the duo move between frostbitten savagery and a nod to their death metal roots with some crushing groove in points. After Afeitrun‘s abrupt end, Ávöxtur af rotnu tré crashes in with a blackened death metal assault that puts Demigod-era BEHEMOTH to shame in terms of intensity. Sverrisso, handling both vocals and drums, performs excellently, delivering a military precision barrage on the latter, and a soul-tearing delivery on the former. Things take an unexpected but most welcome left turn with some pseudo-Gregorian, cleanly sung chanting and a brief bereave from the brutality – but it isn’t long before HELFRÓ have you by the throat once more.

This is very much what’s to be expected of the Icelandic duo’s debut from here. Blackened death metal, though leaning very heavily towards the blackened end, performed with an unrivalled intensity and ferocity. Eldhjarta is short and to the point, but no less eviscerating, while Þrátt fyrir brennandi vilja is a more atmospheric fare, bringing some doom elements, dissonant riffing and tech-death time signatures into play. Þegn hinna stundlegu harma is a little more by-the-numbers black metals, though a very subtle bit of CARACH ANGREN-sounding synth work delivers a very disturbing edge to the otherwise ferocious track.

Heading into the final push of the album, HELFRÓ have already established their debut as a must-listen for all who love black metal. However, it’s this last dash towards the end that really pushes the record from great to essential. Hin forboðna alsæla immediately bursts in with a dissonant, yet hooky, edge, bringing some classic, early 90s black metal riffing to the fore. Borderline operatic clean vocals bring a nice, melodious twist to the otherwise savage track, and really set a different tone for Hin forboðna alsæla. Meanwhile, penultimate track Katrín is a clear album highlight. Frostbitten tremolo riffs, air-tight drumming, a return of those beautiful clean vocals and an overall melodic black metal vibe help Katrín stand proud as HELFRÓ‘s strongest moment so far, before closing track Í Musteri Agans brings the record to a brutalising, haunting close.

So once again, the Icelandic black metal scene delivers excellence. With a level of freezing nihilism and a palpable darkness, HELFRÓ have wonderfully merged their death metal roots with a classic, abrasive black metal sound to bring a new flavour to Iceland’s growing pantheon of black metal. Harsh, raw, and utterly brutalising, Helfró will prove to be the perfect way to cool the warm summer months that approach.

Rating: 8/10

Helfró is set for release April 24th via Season of Mist. 

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