The next big thing in Danish metal
Coming from out of nowhere with just a five track EP, Iotunn are by now causing major waves within the Danish metal community, and playing numerous shows both locally and abroad. Born from the love of progressive music as a 70s prog rock band, their origins serve them well in their current incarnation where tradition and forward-thinking go hand in hand.
The debut EP, entitled The Wizard Falls, is nothing short of a revitalising breath of fresh air in the worn out wind pipe of heavy metal. Mixed and mastered by renowned sound engineer Flemming Rasmussen (of Metallica, Artillery and Blind Guardian fame, among others), Iotunn's sound falls somewhere in a grey area that sounds something like thrashing power metal with a progressive edge and epic melodic death metal.
The debut EP, entitled The Wizard Falls, is nothing short of a revitalising breath of fresh air in the worn out wind pipe of heavy metal. Mixed and mastered by renowned sound engineer Flemming Rasmussen (of Metallica, Artillery and Blind Guardian fame, among others), Iotunn's sound falls somewhere in a grey area that sounds something like thrashing power metal with a progressive edge and epic melodic death metal.
"...Benjamin Jensen's unorthodox vocal patterns lends to the music a degree of authenticity..."
The quartet, however, freely fluctuates between a myriad of influences, at the same time changing from style to style while yet incorporating it all into one wholesome musical unit. Iotunn's aesthetic is progressive, but not in the noodly tech-wank way, and lead singer Benjamin Jensen's unorthodox vocal patterns lends to the music a degree of authenticity and sincerity almost unheard of in the genre.
When the vocals get really rough, and the guitars thrash away on the lower-register chopping block, their quirky compositions almost bring to mind something that the Swedish Gothenburg scene could have birthed in its most adventurous years. Jensen's vocals are definitely rough around the edges, but epic to the core. When it adds to the overall authenticity of the music, it is quite alright that the screams, at times, are a bit off.
Armed with majestic tracks like Given to Explore and Frost, Iotunn's debut EP is forceful and wonderfully varied. Not a single note is wasted on anything but great interplay between instruments, and their odd rhythms only add to the intensity of their compositions. Through just five well-written songs, the Danish group demonstrate that they master both expansive, progressive songwriting as well as more concise and to-the-point compositions.
The Wizard Falls is completely sincere and uncheesy power metal. The vocals offer a neat high-level contrast to the band's deeper and darker crunching, pounding and riffing, landing them in a box intricately labeled "unique".
When the vocals get really rough, and the guitars thrash away on the lower-register chopping block, their quirky compositions almost bring to mind something that the Swedish Gothenburg scene could have birthed in its most adventurous years. Jensen's vocals are definitely rough around the edges, but epic to the core. When it adds to the overall authenticity of the music, it is quite alright that the screams, at times, are a bit off.
"...their odd rhythms only add to the intensity of their compositions."
Armed with majestic tracks like Given to Explore and Frost, Iotunn's debut EP is forceful and wonderfully varied. Not a single note is wasted on anything but great interplay between instruments, and their odd rhythms only add to the intensity of their compositions. Through just five well-written songs, the Danish group demonstrate that they master both expansive, progressive songwriting as well as more concise and to-the-point compositions.
The Wizard Falls is completely sincere and uncheesy power metal. The vocals offer a neat high-level contrast to the band's deeper and darker crunching, pounding and riffing, landing them in a box intricately labeled "unique".
8/10
Released in 2016 independently
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