I’m a big fan of the bleakness and desolation that usually seethes and oozes from Icelandic Black Metal. This debut demo entitled ‘Stelae’ from Reykjavik solo project Perkwunos however, has a greatly differing sound and theme, centred as it is around Germanic heathenism and Indo-European history. ‘Stelae’ is made up of two main constituent parts; a gloriously old school Dark Ambient style with mild percussion, and a rampant, unwavering style of Black Metal. The ‘Pit Graves’ introductory track is put Dark Ambient and perfectly sets the tone for the whole demo by casting out an atmosphere that is part nostalgia, part ominous dread. Very much in the style of Hungarian band Forest Silence and their early, more ambient work. From there the battering, blast-beat driven fury of title track ‘Stelae’ takes hold and marauding guitar leads and guttural grunting vocals are the new way forward. You could say that this style is more simplistic than the usual Icelandic fare, but there are some intensive guitar melodies woven into the chaos and the more direct style works well, especially when taken in juxtaposition with the Dark Ambient interludes that feature on the demo. A highly potent and driven demo release; hopefully we’ll hear more from Perkwunos in the not too distant future.
Perkwunos – Stelae [Demo]
Info
- Bands: Perkwunos
- Labels: Rat King Records, Self-Released
- Release Formats: Cassette, Demo, Digital
- Release Years: 2022
- Review Date: March 3, 2023
- Authors: Marksson
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