IOTUNN: Access All Worlds (PROGRESSIVE METAL,Death Metal): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

I heard that writing the screenplay for Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" took over four years. Exactly the same amount of time it took Iotunn to release his debut album, "Access All Worlds," after his acclaimed EP, "The Wizzard Falls," released in 2016. The common point between the two? The scenario precisely. "Access All Worlds" is a musical journey to the farthest reaches of the cosmos in the company of a crew that has left the Earth, which has become unlivable, in search of another planet on which Humanity could continue to exist. Let's board the Garganey I ship to explore the secrets of an adventurous concept album full of surprises. An album that challenges us to the point of affirming that there is definitely something bold in the kingdom of Denmark.

All the power of Iotunn's music explodes from the first track, 'Voyage Of The Garganey I'. The Danes shine by their sense of composition, by the almost perfect alternation between the deep growls of the verses and the powerful clear vocals of the choruses, by their proven sense of melody applied to a devastating death metal, halfway between the old Opeth and the new Ne Obliviscaris. This power and this intensity characterize all the tracks of "Access All Worlds" which does not suffer from any slackening. The seven tracks follow each other at a fast pace and are all interesting. Especially since the Danes enjoy playing with genres, alternating between classy melodeath ('Safe Across The Endless Night') and epic power metal ('Waves Below'), even venturing to the borders of the black metal galaxy (the raging 'Laihems Golden Pits').

Iotunn impresses by its ability to hold the listener in suspense despite a production a little too dense and compact which can prove to be heavy in the long run. This is the only reproach we can make to this album. For the rest, it is great art, both technically (the huge 'Safe Across The Endless Night') and musically. Each track is thought to combine power (the imposing riff of 'The Towers Of Cosmic Nihility') and melody (the magnificent arpeggios of 'The Weather System') and to make us live the immersive experience of a space trip with multiple twists.

Progressive in its construction, impeccable in its execution and perfectly coherent from beginning to end, "Access All Worlds" is an epic journey at the borders of power and death metal. Iotunn impresses by his sense of composition and by his audacity to mix genres without ever sacrificing the melody. Fans of melodic and progressive death metal, come aboard the Danish ship without delay because albums of this calibre are rare. - Official website

IOTUNN

ACCESS ALL WORLDS

METAL BLADE RECORDS

PROGRESSIVE METAL