2020 was taken by storm when this Icelandic force unleashed Orsök, the full-length introduction to their hostile and mesmeric soundscapes, and now NYRST have joined its frostbitten wrath with a scalding second venture into epic terrains titled Völd. This name translates approximately to “Power,” and that is precisely what erupts during the piece suited as both title and opening track, with its dissonant tremolo and blasting onset unfolding into a mighty compositional array. The momentum gathers around harsh and sung vocal alterations, which are followed by lead sections in a way resembling some energies arranged on the debut, and the intricacies between melody and heavy thrashing rhythms are pronounced while becoming imbued with other ethereal shades. Rhythmic effects draw like the flow of lava on “Sundra skal sálu (The Soul Shall be Divided),” after treading across barren atmospheric planes inhabited by clear strings, and their essence transfers to cold distortions that captivate alongside the solemn pace and vocals. This procession delves into dingy chasmic pits and then upward through an evocative thread of leadwork, demonstrating a craft with potency at multiple aural levels, and drum patterns take focus as the spirits here disperse to unseen realms beyond.
Layers and variations of melody continue emanating vitally around the forceful riff masses of “Hrímvíti (Heavy Penalty),” and both elements join for an intensity thundering with primeval vehemence, which then changes form to droned and distant chants during a rhythmic grooving break. Sung vocals match their substance as the beat persists, and soloing soars above those grand developments before “Fjallið andar (The Mountain Breathes)” explores the deepest atmospheric recesses, where otherworldly and feral beings reverberate throughout a cavernous expanse. “Eilíft eldhaf (Eternal Sea of Fire)” follows this haunting interlude with other disturbed notes, and they herald the tremolo and riffing storm that blasts alongside a notable viciousness in rasped vocal powers. The dynamism within these formations is amplified from swaying shifts in the pace, and a moment of calm echoing with deep voices and clean-stringed bleakness is also crossed, bringing further emphasis to atmosphere until earlier derangements return with a fierce refocus on the extremity.
The thick elemental drive that finalized the preceding hymn is fully engaged during “Drottnari nafnlausra guða (Lord of the Nameless Gods),” an eleven-minute epic which harnesses a full arsenal to pinpoint various auras, and they appear right from its eerie initial notes and across steady riff planes layered with icy immensity. A grandiose flow through drum and vocal shifts is marked within the mass, until a blasting incursion bears down with fury headed toward distinguished rhythmic maneuvers, and they include some grooved areas to capitalize on the severity while others adjust for solemn orations. Ancient perceptions are elevated by those passages, and the magnitude is sealed in a solo before keys dim the way into “Af fjarri ströndum (From Far Shores).” Darker spirits are encountered here in the menace between chords and arpeggiated strings, and tremolos also bend woefully as the arrangements gather into a last frenzied exercise to bring about its completion.
The band’s native language is well-suited to their sound and the atmospheres evoked throughout, and when considering the lyrics, some approximate translations of song titles above allude to themes running deeper beneath the natural phenomena. I’m not able to fully translate them at this time, and it would of course be interesting to know more about their inner contents, but they will instead remain shrouded in mystery while recognizing what stands as a lordly and ambitious return for NYRST.
themisanthreport.com 