IOTUNN – Kinship
Release Date: 25th October 2024
Label: Metal Blade Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Progressive Death Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Extreme Metal, Power Metal.
FFO: Borknagar, Wolfheart, Insomnium, Fires in the Distance, Kvaen, Wormwood.
Review By: Rick Farley
“Kinship is a massive album arising from the primeval sea. A mythological music journey of eight songs which span across immense spheres musically and lyrically exploring the deep roots of the human nature, its connection and disconnection with everything and everyone, and how our choices have always defined ourselves and the lives lived.”
Originally formed in 2009 by guitarist Jesper Gräs as more of a seventies space rock influenced band. Many iterations and several phases of the bands creation unconsciously led to progressive, melodic metal with no restrictions, a new sound organically emerged and the name Iotunn was born in 2015. Fast-forward to 2021 to the band’s debut release of Access All Worlds. A stunning album full of progressive death metal that quickly made Iotunn a name in the metal world. Now three years later, the Danish/Faroese band returns with their highly anticipated second full length Kinship, releasing via Metal Blade Records.
A creation of sprawling soundscapes, full of lush atmosphere, mountainous heaviness and progressive flourishes that will transcend just past listening with your ears but into experiencing a musical journey through different moods, aggressions and dark, but beautiful landscapes. Kinship feels like its very own world; an immersive, ambitious, spiralling, malevolent world.
Its period set in primeval time, a story of a prehistoric tribesman whose journey through themes of unity/disunity, light/dark, body/mind, nature/culture, good/evil, and creation/destruction are all unveiled throughout the album’s sixty plus minute runtime. A piece of art that expands past just sound, interconnecting everything together into its own individuality.
Completely unafraid, the band kicks off Kinship with a nearly fourteen minute song Kinship Elegiac that traverses through several different genres skilfully,
and with what seems like only as a few minutes of passing. Quite vocals and clean guitars begin the track deep into a mysterious atmosphere. A full toned, powerful singing voice cuts through, massive walls of distortion with epic melody swirling over the luscious soundscape. The sense of triumphant majesty is overpowering as elements of eclectic prog guitars, drive the song from fast-paced to blasting drums without missing an ounce of emotional depth. Death metal growls and screechy black metal vocals intertwine the ethereal, heavy music, occasionally adding the sense of menace and viciousness to the immensity of the track. A sound that remains consistent throughout the album.
The huge vocal hooks of Jón Aldará on Mistland immerse the listener with not only memorable moments, but assists the music’s layered, intricate songwriting stick with you subconsciously, even after putting down your headphones. Virtuosic leads combine with searing tremolo picked melodies and massive waves of weighty riffs to swallow up the listener into its labyrinth.
Kinship as an album is a hard sound to describe, it’s as if the grandeur of power metal, mixed with the ferocity of black metal, and cavernous death metal all amalgamate into walls of melodic guitars twisting and turning, giving way to brightness and darkness, heaviness, and melodicism. Truly a musical journey from beginning to end.
As good as Kinship is, though, I feel there are a few missteps. Firstly, 68 minutes is a large amount of music to consume in one sitting, and this album is surely meant to be enjoyed as a whole. Secondly, Iridescent Way would be better suited as a short interlude rather than a five-minute acoustic vehicle for Aldará to sing over also shortening the runtime. To me, the song feels unnecessary and took me completely out of the album until the next song begins. There’s plenty of beautiful singing and glorious musical passages to have a singular acoustic track that doesn’t enhance the album. My opinion, of course. No matter what, this is an incredible album that fans are going to absolutely love. Check this out!
(4 / 5)
