There aren’t many bands out there in the open that truly understand black metal. Today, a lot of acts borrow inspiration from the black metal groups that were essential to establishing the genre in the first place, but they do not reach the core harshness. Enter Nyrst, a black metal act from Reykjavík, Iceland, who first came to the scene in 2016 with the release of an untitled two-track demo. Fast-forward to 2020 and the five-piece group is about to unleash their debut full-length entitled Orsök on April 24th via Dark Essence Records.
With astoundingly deviant vocals layered on top of riffs that crash upon you like the waves of the Atlantic Ocean hitting the shores of the band’s homeland. There is something exceptional and at times even other-worldly about what Nyrst has been able to forge here, as we traverse through these layers and chimeric terrains that their soundscapes paint before us. This is the type of band you simply can’t just profess to “understand,” but you rather have to work your way in and delve into philosophical realities to extract the ultimate significance.
There is something in Nyrst’s music that, in a way, connects with the ethereal. Something that is oddly sympathetic in its stripped-down sound. “Orsök” is a compelling listen because it speaks to a contrasting age. Nothing about Nyrst and their debut album feels like a try to be evocative; This is rather a homage to older ideas brought into the modern realm. Nyrst are focused on larger-than-life visions that transcend us away from home. The uncanny terror of Nyrst is spellbinding and the fact that the production here doesn’t try to suffocate you but instead gives the listener room to breathe only aids to make Orsök even more captivating.
Nyrst’s approach in “Orsök” is serious; the Icelanders are creating courageous new movements and pondering the questions of the genre’s future. As a consequence, “Orsök” is an excellent debut from a group that seems to have unlimited potential.
8/10
About Nyrst
Get it at Dark Essence Records
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