Helfró – Tálgröf
Release Date: 1st December 2023
Label: Season of Mist Underground Activists
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Death Metal, Symphonic, Atmospheric.
FFO: Gaerea, Misþyrming, Hate, Behemoth, Immortal, Septic Flesh, Skeletal Remains.
Review By: Rick Farley
From the harsh beauty of Iceland’s haunting landscapes comes Helfró, a blistering, blackened death metal force comprised of only two members. Drummer/vocalist/songwriter Ragnar Sverrisson and
Guitarist/bass/vocalist/arrangements Simon Thorolfsson take inspiration from the bleakness of Icelandic winters, the mysticism of nature and the chaos of the human experience, to bring a relentless barrage of blast beats, devastating riffs, and dark atmospheric melodies. Their potent blend of aggression and terrifying aura was shown on their self-titled 2020 debut. Now three years later Helfró have released a maniacal, more death metal focused feast of uncompromised blackened ferocity titled Tálgröf, which translates to “An Imaginary Grave” for anyone that doesn’t speak Icelandic. The album, released by Season of Mist, is a punishing, frightful turn towards turbulent energy and chaotic song composition.
Tálgröf wastes no time bringing the heat in opener Jarteikn. Flame drenched, metallic guitar melodies twist and turn in lunatic fashion, while blast beats pound the ever living daylights out of you. This electrifying track starts in scorching black metal territory only to have the guitar riffs start spitting and chugging tight patterns that take the blackened death metal to headbanging heights. This style of tight, crisp riffing is prevalent on the album and genuinely accents the serpentine guitar phrasing that feels like controlled chaos. The riffs range from groovy chugs to tremolo picked hellfire and anxiety ridden melodies, all at the pace of assaulting. Þögnin Ytra, Kyrrðin Innra is the perfect example of this schizophrenic style of riffing that seems so erratic yet still musical. Blending extremely fast, battering drums, raspy blackened growls and swirling guitars is a harrowing experience that will have any pit in an uproar. Completely relentless from the opening blast beats, all the way to the end where hooky, whirling melodies lead you out into the unknown of the next track. The symphonic atmosphere with slower paced chunky riffs and pounding drums of Sindur bring to mind Septic Flesh, at least the first half of the song. All told, Tálgröf is an amalgam of bludgeoning but varying tempos, layers, and styles. It clearly stays within the blackened death metal lane but with expressive flourishes of symphonics, snarling attitude, and intense dissonance. Mostly these elements work, but occasionally a track or two veers off into a different direction, which takes you out of the mood that’s been previously set. Sindur as mentioned does this, as well as track five Guðlegt Réttlæti. That’s not to say there’s anything overly wrong here, but for a track to go from dark and evil to upbeat and punky without warning throws you off a little. Again, it’s only a few tracks, and it’s surely not a defining reason to not check this album out. Truth be told, Helfró rips through each track with undying intensity and skill. Despite a few small missteps, it’s hard to ignore the sheer ferocity of these songs. I mean, who doesn’t love being relentlessly bashed upside the head with blackened death metal.
The album was recorded at Dominion Recordings by Simon Thorolfsson with mixing and mastering handled by Mark Lewis, Tálgröf sounds like a raging beast hellbent on demolishing everything. It’s powerful, chaotic, and crushing, with each instrument and vocals maintaining clarity even when the record goes into ruthless battering mode. Which it often does. While I was not previously familiar with this band, I am eager to hear more from this promising duo. Give this a listen. 
(3.5 / 5)
