Here's a brief introduction to doom metal. Or, the common understanding of it.
It's obviously an unfair simplification, but it gets three things right. A doom metal song is typically really long, really repetitive, and really sparsely instrumented.
A lot of people dislike doom metal, which I can completely understand, but they tend to have strange reasons for it.
One I get a lot is that it's "too extreme". And yes, if you're a metalhead, the fact that the songs are long, quiet and meditative, with not necessarily that much happening at any given time, is itself quite extreme.
Another one I get a lot is it's "too sad/depressing". But I really don't get that one either. Sure, the soundscapes are dark as hell, but the music never feels sad. It's not personal enough. Sufjan Stevens makes me sad. Electronic music can even make me sad. Doom metal is just epic. Intensely epic. Cinematic, big feelings, but not sadness.
And sure, if you're an adrenaline junkie unable to listen to anything slower less than 120 bpm, then doom metal is not for you. Because this shit is not a goddamn penis measuring contest. Metal can be so stupid sometimes. Like why do people think they have to start shredding once they get an electric guitar in their hands? But if you think that's what all metal is, that's like watching this knucklehead with a glittery electric violin demonstrate his understanding of 'classical music'. So enter doom metal. This is metal excercising restraint. And more often than not, I find experience that is an absolute joy.
Hamferð are a Faroese doom metal band. Or rather, I won't pretend there are others, because there aren't in this tiny nation of 48 000 people (the music scene is wonderfully vibrant and diverse, though). So they are the only Faroese doom metal band. And that's not the only sense in which they're unique. They released the four-track 'EP' Vilst Er Síðsta Fet in 2011, the six-track 'album' Evst in 2013, and up until this year this was the entirety of their output. It's a stunning, woefully short catalogue, in my opinion. It singlehandedly got me into the genre, so I'm obviously biased, but I have branched out since, discovering more to love in this dark musical world, but nothing strikes quite the same chord with me as Hamferð's unique sound does. So the arrival of Evst's long-awaited follow-up early this year was exciting indeed. They promised an epic narrative, their most ambitious project yet, and boy did Támsins Likam deliver.
Hamferð haven't lost their touch. And I wouldn't blame them if they had. These are regular guys, working normal jobs and doing some Hamferð stuff when they have the time and money. Three-show tours every now and again, playing to modest but growing crowds across Europe. They're not full-time satanists (which is good) or professional musicians. Singer Jón Aldará is a friggin ornithologist. It's not a given that magic is gonna come out when they enter the studio. But they're good musicians. They have a clear vision. And clichéd though it may sound, they're inspired by the Faroe Islands. For case in point, see the video below, of which probably half the views are mine.
Whereas Evst began with its heaviest riff, Támsins Likam begins with its quietest section, the 9-minute opening track "Fylgisflog" being the song on the album closest to fulfilling the schematic above. It has a moody and exciting 4 minute intro, but I will admit I don't always play this thing from the top. The next four tracks "Stygd", "Tvístevndur meldur", "Frosthvarv" and "Hon syndrast" are directly accessible in comparison, with 5-6-minute song lengths, legitimate riffs and actual 4/4 grooves (at first the relative lack of unconvential time signatures slightly disappointed me, but I'm sure for the majority of you that's at most a minor issue), and although I feel like I'm disrespecting the spirit of doom or something, these tracks are indeed 'easier' to put on. They will appeal to a wider audience of metalheads than did Evst. But I may feel ever so slightly that they're not actually doom enough. It almost feels too... happy. Doom is best in large doses. It's all about the contrast. The four back-to-back relatively uptempo tracks are all amazing, but they do rather exhaust me, and lately my favorite has become the slowest song of them all, closer "Vápn í anda". Before this there are fewer of the dramatic melodic sections reaching the same heights as on Evst. There are no dead stops in the middle of the album. Yes, on ANY other album that would be... not a problem, to say the least, but here I find myself missing it. But I'm aware that my tastes here are quite extreme.
But the full-scale doom on the opening and closing tracks (who together amount to half the album's runtime) really add to the experience. When I do sit down and listen to this thing in full, my is it a trip. It's a widescreen cinematic experience. It does everything Evst did, and refines it. Even with my passable Faroese, I have a hard time following the archaic lyrics, but it doesn't subtract from the experience. Whether you're picturing a hero's journey and battles of a war, or lonely desolation and battles of a mind, the story is vivid as fuck. I don't know whether I prefer Aldará's deep growl, his operatic chest voice, or the tortured rasp he croaks out in "Tvístevndur meldur", but the combination is breathtaking. He channels a thousand years of history like a force of nature. And the band is as tightly orchestrated as if they were recording for BBC's Planet Earth.
Hamferð do explore some newish territory here as well. There's an unfamiliar semi-shuffling groove on "Frosthvarv", which works much better now than when I first heard it. And there are twenty seconds of spine-tingling black metal on "Hon syndrast" - the way this is paired with the dramatic climax and outro of the song is incredible. But the main virtue of Támsins Likam is as a culmination of what Hamferð could be - and now is. They might make a better album, but I wouldn't put my money on it. I wouldn't even bet on them making another album. This album exists, and it's a gift to the world of metal, and certainly to the world of me. There may never be made an album that is doom enough for me. If someone did it would probably be boring. You'd have to keep the intensity. This is the key to what Hamferð does, and it's definitely not easy. I don't know why I love doom so much (please tell me, psychoanalysts), but I've been returning to Evst over and over again for five years, and despite my very specific objections, I suspect I'll be returning to this one for ten.
Best tracks: "Hon syndrast", "Vápn í anda", "Tvístevndur meldur"
I'm seeing them live in Trondheim on Sunday. I don't know anyone else who's going, but I'm going. So if we haven't talked for a while, and you're ever so slightly interested - drop me a message.
It's obviously an unfair simplification, but it gets three things right. A doom metal song is typically really long, really repetitive, and really sparsely instrumented.
A lot of people dislike doom metal, which I can completely understand, but they tend to have strange reasons for it.
One I get a lot is that it's "too extreme". And yes, if you're a metalhead, the fact that the songs are long, quiet and meditative, with not necessarily that much happening at any given time, is itself quite extreme.
Another one I get a lot is it's "too sad/depressing". But I really don't get that one either. Sure, the soundscapes are dark as hell, but the music never feels sad. It's not personal enough. Sufjan Stevens makes me sad. Electronic music can even make me sad. Doom metal is just epic. Intensely epic. Cinematic, big feelings, but not sadness.
And sure, if you're an adrenaline junkie unable to listen to anything slower less than 120 bpm, then doom metal is not for you. Because this shit is not a goddamn penis measuring contest. Metal can be so stupid sometimes. Like why do people think they have to start shredding once they get an electric guitar in their hands? But if you think that's what all metal is, that's like watching this knucklehead with a glittery electric violin demonstrate his understanding of 'classical music'. So enter doom metal. This is metal excercising restraint. And more often than not, I find experience that is an absolute joy.
Hamferð are a Faroese doom metal band. Or rather, I won't pretend there are others, because there aren't in this tiny nation of 48 000 people (the music scene is wonderfully vibrant and diverse, though). So they are the only Faroese doom metal band. And that's not the only sense in which they're unique. They released the four-track 'EP' Vilst Er Síðsta Fet in 2011, the six-track 'album' Evst in 2013, and up until this year this was the entirety of their output. It's a stunning, woefully short catalogue, in my opinion. It singlehandedly got me into the genre, so I'm obviously biased, but I have branched out since, discovering more to love in this dark musical world, but nothing strikes quite the same chord with me as Hamferð's unique sound does. So the arrival of Evst's long-awaited follow-up early this year was exciting indeed. They promised an epic narrative, their most ambitious project yet, and boy did Támsins Likam deliver.
 |
| I'm not sure what more to expect/want from a doom metal cover. This imagery doesn't do much for me, but it's consistent with the music, I guess. And the title, which means "body of the mist". |
Hamferð haven't lost their touch. And I wouldn't blame them if they had. These are regular guys, working normal jobs and doing some Hamferð stuff when they have the time and money. Three-show tours every now and again, playing to modest but growing crowds across Europe. They're not full-time satanists (which is good) or professional musicians. Singer Jón Aldará is a friggin ornithologist. It's not a given that magic is gonna come out when they enter the studio. But they're good musicians. They have a clear vision. And clichéd though it may sound, they're inspired by the Faroe Islands. For case in point, see the video below, of which probably half the views are mine.
Whereas Evst began with its heaviest riff, Támsins Likam begins with its quietest section, the 9-minute opening track "Fylgisflog" being the song on the album closest to fulfilling the schematic above. It has a moody and exciting 4 minute intro, but I will admit I don't always play this thing from the top. The next four tracks "Stygd", "Tvístevndur meldur", "Frosthvarv" and "Hon syndrast" are directly accessible in comparison, with 5-6-minute song lengths, legitimate riffs and actual 4/4 grooves (at first the relative lack of unconvential time signatures slightly disappointed me, but I'm sure for the majority of you that's at most a minor issue), and although I feel like I'm disrespecting the spirit of doom or something, these tracks are indeed 'easier' to put on. They will appeal to a wider audience of metalheads than did Evst. But I may feel ever so slightly that they're not actually doom enough. It almost feels too... happy. Doom is best in large doses. It's all about the contrast. The four back-to-back relatively uptempo tracks are all amazing, but they do rather exhaust me, and lately my favorite has become the slowest song of them all, closer "Vápn í anda". Before this there are fewer of the dramatic melodic sections reaching the same heights as on Evst. There are no dead stops in the middle of the album. Yes, on ANY other album that would be... not a problem, to say the least, but here I find myself missing it. But I'm aware that my tastes here are quite extreme.
But the full-scale doom on the opening and closing tracks (who together amount to half the album's runtime) really add to the experience. When I do sit down and listen to this thing in full, my is it a trip. It's a widescreen cinematic experience. It does everything Evst did, and refines it. Even with my passable Faroese, I have a hard time following the archaic lyrics, but it doesn't subtract from the experience. Whether you're picturing a hero's journey and battles of a war, or lonely desolation and battles of a mind, the story is vivid as fuck. I don't know whether I prefer Aldará's deep growl, his operatic chest voice, or the tortured rasp he croaks out in "Tvístevndur meldur", but the combination is breathtaking. He channels a thousand years of history like a force of nature. And the band is as tightly orchestrated as if they were recording for BBC's Planet Earth.
Hamferð do explore some newish territory here as well. There's an unfamiliar semi-shuffling groove on "Frosthvarv", which works much better now than when I first heard it. And there are twenty seconds of spine-tingling black metal on "Hon syndrast" - the way this is paired with the dramatic climax and outro of the song is incredible. But the main virtue of Támsins Likam is as a culmination of what Hamferð could be - and now is. They might make a better album, but I wouldn't put my money on it. I wouldn't even bet on them making another album. This album exists, and it's a gift to the world of metal, and certainly to the world of me. There may never be made an album that is doom enough for me. If someone did it would probably be boring. You'd have to keep the intensity. This is the key to what Hamferð does, and it's definitely not easy. I don't know why I love doom so much (please tell me, psychoanalysts), but I've been returning to Evst over and over again for five years, and despite my very specific objections, I suspect I'll be returning to this one for ten.
Best tracks: "Hon syndrast", "Vápn í anda", "Tvístevndur meldur"
I'm seeing them live in Trondheim on Sunday. I don't know anyone else who's going, but I'm going. So if we haven't talked for a while, and you're ever so slightly interested - drop me a message.
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