Misþyrming - Með hamri

[Insert terrible "Hammer time" joke here.]

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on December 28th 2022) 

It's no secret to anyone who has been following black metal over the 2010s that the Icelandic scene has, for lack of a better word, blown the fuck up in terms of popularity. For how small the country is, it has put out some of the genre's most notable works in recent times, thanks to their instantly recognisable brand of jangly but ever so slightly melodic take on the genre. Bands like Svartidauði and the topic of today's review, Misþyrming have managed to drop some truly excellent projects despite their relatively short lifespan. The latter in particular has managed to survive the pandemic and released their third album, Með hamri at the tail end of the year, inevitably snubbing themselves from many a person’s year-end lists. That being said, it's a project that anyone who will give their time to will find out that it's worthy of a spot in anyone's top 10 for 2022.

While they may not look like it at first glance, Misþyrming does have a tendency to experiment between releases. Both Söngvar elds og óreiðu and Algleymi feature distinct sonic palates and are very easy to tell apart, which is what makes Með hamri a bit of an oddity. Its sound, while distinct in its own right, feels like a bridge between their previous two works, combining them together while at the same time adding its own unique touches. For one, the sophomore's melodicism is scaled back, with extra emphasis being placed on the debut's dissonant and churning nature. The title track opens the album up on a rather intense note, with its thrashing opener with its wild leads making for one hell of a statement, even if it isn't wholly representative of the album as a whole, for the song that follows it, "Með harmi" takes things in a slightly different direction. Here we see the band's more melodic tendencies filtered through a more aggressive filter, with a lot of those quasi-uplifting riffs that appeared on Algleymi being contrasted by some rather dissonant arpeggios and biting mid-tempo riffs.

Now, familiarity is good and all, but what really defines Með hamri is one word, that being ambition. Though it's not the band's longest work to date, it is the one that features their most long-winded and elaborate compositions, and that isn't only reflected by the lengths of the songs, but also the new things being brought to the table. Most notably, there's some symphonic elements present here, most notably the dramatic horns that appear on "Engin miskunn", which are bombastic while at the same time not taking away from the rest of the music's gravity. They carry a surprisingly solemn air, something that came to me as a surprise, seeing as more often than not symphonic elements tend to drag metal albums down. Misþyrming's ambitions continue on through the longer tracks here, most notably the near 10-minute closer, "Aftaka". It's their longest piece to date, and it manages to live up to the expectations one inevitably has upon seeing it as the closer. It's a gradual build-up that slowly builds tension until it explodes into pure chaos, with urgent riffing and leads zipping left and right, with a lot of tempo and mood shifts appearing throughout, conjuring a sense of melancholy, before bringing things to a close with the same motifs introduced at the start. It's a great finale, ending things on a high note. Even the short "Blóðhefnd" stands out as more than just an interlude, with its militaristic drumming, horns and female choirs setting the stage for the finale. It's one of those cases where I don't feel like an interlude exists for the sole purpose of filling up space.

With all that being said, I can't say Með hamri didn't leave me wanting. For one, I do wish the new additions to the core sound were more prevalent through more of the album, because barring some light keys on the opener, the orchestral elements become more apparent after "Engin miskunn". There also seems to be a lot of ambience filling up the back end of the songs, causing the built up momentum to dissipate, and though that isn't bad in and of itself, these sections last anywhere between 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the song in question. I also found "Engin vorkunn" to be lacking in terms of energy, making for what I could call the album's low point, even if it isn't really terrible. It simply lacks the bite and driving force that was already established by that point.

Misþyrming's approach to sound is yet another notable change here, one that I also found fell a little bit short. It's crisp while at the same time creating a somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere, with the jagged guitars churning out some cataclysmic soundscapes, underpinned by a pulverising drumset that makes its presence felt at all times, in particular through the snare's popping. And then there's the bass, which has sadly been neglected somewhat, despite its rumbling tone being quite powerful in its own right, something that becomes all the more strange when considering the fact that it was much more prominent in the band's previous works. As for the keys and orchestral elements, they're tastefully incorporated in the music, taking centre stage but not overpowering the rest of the instrumentation whenever they appear..

Með hamri is a sidegrade. It doesn't mark as big a transition as Algleymi did, with its sound being a compromise between Misþyrming's earlier works, but it nevertheless has a character of its own, one that reveals itself after multiple listens. It's a grower whose layers become apparent to those willing to invest time in uncovering them, making for a very replayable work. Regardless of my criticisms, I have to respect the group’s desire to try something new and not wanting to repeat themselves. This might not be my favourite release of theirs, but it's guaranteed to be someone else's, and that's a feat in and of itself.

Highlights: Með hamri, Engin miskunn, Aftaka

Rating: 88%