|
|
"Iotunn offers us a little nugget constantly balancing between too much and too little. “Kinship” is an invitation to awakening that would be a shame to miss."
|
5/5
|
|
|
|
If we say Denmark, you answer? Carlsberg beer, Stimorols, Lars Ulrich, the Little Mermaid, Novo Nordisk's slimming pill, Lars Von Trier, Bluetooth for historian-geeks, Myrkur for Black Metal fans... So, are we running out of steam? If you're stumped for celebrities, brands or highlights in Denmark, it's not because there's nothing interesting - it's just the opposite. The UN's World Happiness Report ranked Danes among the happiest people in the world. And when you're happy, you have nothing to prove, convince or surpass. As a result, we don't make people talk, and we're at peace. One of the great lies of our society is that you have to be visible, known, have likes and followers to be happy, but paradoxically the opposite is true. The Danes understood this a long time ago, and Iotunn won't deny it.
Iotunn is a band from Copenhagen with ten years of existence and (only) two albums to their credit. The latest, “Kinship”, corroborates what has just been described, with singer Jón Aldará explaining that everything in life is connected, everything has an impact, and that each of us has a mission to find our own way to reconnect with our deeper selves. The subject of causality is central throughout the album, in which there is constant talk of the consequences of one's choices and the balance between material and spiritual life. Far from being perched on the edge, “Kinship” explores what is within everyone's reach to achieve happiness, right on the borderline of good/evil, light/dark, mind/body, creation/destruction...
The album is a powerful little gem, constantly balancing melodic, technical, brutal and atmospheric elements. The tracks are highly polished, and as the album progresses, it becomes clear why Iotunn took their time releasing their album. Indeed, while the Danes play a complex music at the crossroads of progressive metal and melodic death, we never feel trapped in the pessimistic meanders of these styles, as the band always brings us back to the surface after giving us a taste of the anguish of darkness. Iotunn's ease in the depths of death metal as well as in the naive flights of rock will be appreciated.
'Iridescent Way' is a lovely ballad reminiscent of Metallica, but without the commercial bias. The track is more useful for the next track, 'Earth to Sky', a well-executed mix of death and power metal, taking the listener into the darkness of death metal, only to bring him back again with a cheerful, catchy chorus in the next phrase.
The finale, 'The Anguished Ethereal', is undoubtedly the most epic part of the album. Eleven minutes of stirring journey to the very edge of what Iotunn can do best, and which resolutely takes the album to its firmament. The riffs are so inspired and catchy that you'll still be singing them after the album is finished. This final track is a marvel, provided you stay focused for the full eleven minutes.
No need to say more. “Kinship” is a magnificent discovery not to be missed, especially if you're looking for spiritual and musical awakening... - Official website
|
|
|
|
|
TRACK LISTING:
01. Kinship Elegiac
02. Mistland
03. Twilight
04. I Feel the Night
05. The Coming End
06. Iridescent Way
07. Earth to Sky
08. The Anguished Ethereal
LINEUP:
Bjørn Wind Andersen: Batterie
Eskil Rask: Basse
Jens Nicolai Gräs: Guitares
Jesper Gräs: Guitares
Jón Aldará: Chant
|
|
| |
|
(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
| |
|
|
(5) COMMENT(S)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Très bon album, mais à mon sens, pas meilleur que le précédent, l'excellent "Access All Worlds". Je lui mets donc la même note, 4/5.
En tout cas, et même si la musique de Iotunn reste de facture très classique, le groupe mérite une place de choix sur la scène melodeath prog, c'est certain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Album très intéressant avec quelques faux airs parfois avec Borknagar dans la recherche mélodique.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hum, pas pour moi : avec "The Last Will and Testament", Opeth a plié le game !
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ca se bat facilement avec le dernier Opeth !
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oh la la.... Lars Von Trier et Myrkur, correction faite. bizarre ces fautes sur des personnes connues... Merci pour la chro je vais jeter une oreille la dessus !
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top of the page
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
READERS
4.5/5 (2 view(s))
|
STAFF:
4.8/5 (4 view(s))
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
IN RELATION WITH IOTUNN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
OTHER REVIEWS
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT IOTUNN
|
|