ALBUM REVIEW: Vökudraumsins Fangi – Auðn

Pound for pound, Iceland might have the most active contemporary black metal scene in the world. The relatively small population of the volcanic North Atlantic island has an exceptional rate of artistic engagement and activity, and it’s often supposed that this is due to both their geographical isolation as well as the inspiring and otherworldly landscapes of their homeland. The scene has gained international recognition in the last decade with acts like SVARTIÐAUDI, MISÞYRMING and SINMARA pioneering a distinctively Icelandic flavour of black metal, multiplied amongst countless side-projects and collaborations. In amongst the underground of the scene you’ll find AUÐN, who have eschewed the fire-and-brimstone sound of their peers in order to refine a more traditional approach.

The soaring melodies and raw vocal style featured on their second full-length Farvegir Fyrndar brought them some quiet acclaim in 2017, and the band embarked on European tours alongside GAAHL’S WYRD and THE GREAT OLD ONES, as well appearances at prestigious festivals. Now a sextet, comprising three guitarists alongside a rhythm section and vocalist, AUÐN have returned with Vökudraumsins Fangi, which could prove to be their defining work.

Vökudraumsins Fangi, or ‘prisoner of the daydream’, is a state in which one is deluded that one is living a life which never took place. This surreal, solipsistic mood permeates AUÐN’s third album, which is as bleak and desolate as one might expect, but it is not dominated by it. The defiance of hope and courage plays a crucial emotive counterpoint in the atmosphere of Vökudraumsins Fangi, and AUÐN paint these hues against one another with rare skill.  Opening track Einn Um Alla Tíð (One For All Time) is an excellent example: beginning with seething, violent energy and gradually exhausting itself as a sanguine conviction takes hold. The melodies do most of the heavy-listing here, with lavish, triple-layered guitars allowing for descants and motifs to appear fleetingly in the saturated soundstage.

Vocalist Hjalti Sveinsson deserves praise for his performance too, which is notably authentic in its delivery; alternating between piercing, desperate shrieks and a guttural voice. AUÐN’s broad musical vocabulary allows them to move between different moods and atmospheres with fluency, and the careful sequencing of Vökudraumsins Fangi makes it thoroughly listenable from start to finish. Convulsing rhythms are used to break up the pace, and ensure that the album has a distinctly contemporary feel to it (particularly Drepsótt, ‘Plague’), while meandering interludes clear the air between intense melodic salvos. Together, the pacing and sequencing make Vökudraumsins Fangi feel entirely natural, and reinforce AUÐN’s elemental energy.

Ten years into their career, AUÐN have produced the album which will define them. Bleakness and hope are intertwined as threads running through Vökudraumsins Fangi, and they are balanced against one another with exceptional nuance. This is a refined approach to a traditional style: richly melodic and emotively potent, the elemental forces of their homeland are in full view here. A fitting companion to a long winter’s evening; Vökudraumsins Fangi is both timely and timeless.

Rating: 9/10

Vökudraumsins fangi is out now via Season of Mist.

Like AUÐN on Facebook.