The DevilsHorns

Black Metal is a curious beast. Steeped in tradition, yet modern bands continue to push against its limitations. This describes the debut album by Icelandic outfit Forsmán with their outstanding debut Brenndar Rústir & Fuðrandi Fjörur.

Following the bands well-received debut EP, Brenndar Rústir & Fuðrandi Fjörur sees their second release on Vesperian and it is as raw and abrasive as before. Forsmán are a fantastic anomaly in the black metal world, a band who show deference to the roots of the genre, but who are young and confident enough to take it in their own direction.

Opening track, ‘Drottinn Fyrirgefur Allt’ starts the attack. The vocals are delightfully old-school black metal, with the track delivering an urgent intensity that deliberately embraces you. It is a strong opening track that creates a feeling in you that lasts throughout the album, or most of it anyway.

has an unrelenting attack, even with slower sections. ‘Kynjamyndir’, the shortest track on the album, still manages to cram more ideas into 3 ½ minutes that some bands do across the whole album. Here, Forsmán show supreme confidence in their ability to craft and deliver a song. My head was bobbing away as the track captured my soul.

But, arguably, the albums finest hour is track 2, ‘Svartir Svanir’. This is a massive, dominant song. Here, the keys excel and we have understated backing harmonies as the 4 lads from Iceland offer up a genuine banger of a song. Top drawer.

It is a shame, then, that the very last closing track in the album, ‘Barmafylltar Fjöldagrafir’, almost lets the side down. The longest song on the album, it naturally takes its time to get going. When it does, it feels that the aggression has been lowered, leading it to lack the intensity of the previous songs. It is still a very decent black metal song, but with it being placed at the end of the album, it left a subtle hint of disappointment to my ears.

The good news is that the rest of the album is fantastic, with the last track being merely ‘good’. Forsmán are a band who will lead black metal into the future, helping to challenge genre ideas but still respecting the past.

This may become a vinyl purchase for me – it is mostly exceptional.

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