Dis(so) Guy Again?
Welcome back, ladies and gents, to the newest edition of dissonant deftness. Though your attention has likely been wasted on such things as working, endless conflicts, and foot-style football, fret not, as I am here to relay unto you the real issues of our complicated timeline. That’s right, more dissonant releases you missed, you know you missed, and keep telling yourself you’ll come back and actually check out. Well, this Ghost Gas of Disso Past is always here to haunt you with such things.
Vafurlogi – Gneisti af eldi Guðs (June 26)
In the sad reality where Svartidauði is no more and Sinmara hasn’t released anything going on 8 years now, how is a dissonant Icelandic fanboy such as myself supposed to find the will to continu? Well, in lieu of this, Þórir Garðarsson is keeping busy with his new-ish project that captures the spirit of that unique sound that seems no other nation can quite replicate. Admittedly, I felt slightly disappointed with their 2024 debut, but I honestly feel it was more of a “me” problem due to attempting to force my expectations upon a band unfairly. However, with Gneisti af eldi Guðs, Vafurlogi won me over with their deft mixture of dissonant and melodic black metal and the result is incredibly engaging and captivating. Haunting, yet still epic in scope of composition, this is one likely to be fighting for a year-end spot.
Forsmán – Brenndar Rústir & Fuðrandi Fjörur (June 26)
Oh, how I spoil you ungrateful readers with not one, but two black metal releases from Iceland on the same day. You may grovel at my feet for your apology… or you can check out the debut from underground upstarts Forsmán. This little group first aggressively captured my attention with their incredible EP from 2021, but they have been relatively silent since. Well, this appears to have been time well spent as Brenndar Rústir & Fuðrandi Fjörur is a monstrous wave of discordant riffs, grooving tremolos, and punishing barks/shrieks designed to enthrall and horrify. Though not atmospheric in the traditional sense, this is a release of near constant barrages of musicality that flows over you while simultaneously assaulting your psyche. Also, you already know you’re going to check it simply based on that stunning Paolo Girardi art.
Agonanist – The Spirit of Gravity (August 28)
To end today’s session is one that was completely new to me previously, but first impressions of Agonanist left me both sickened (laudatory) and powerless against their will. A massive wave of fuzzy guitars and vocals rasps that form a denseness in the air that transitions to catchy guitar hooks and post-ish sensibilities. Coming from a label such as Transylvanian Recording, it really should be no surprise that the music differs from its peers through an unwillingness to conform to trends and hype. Dark in execution, but with a sense of groove that is a near nonexistent component of music designed to be harsh and punishing. The Spirit of Gravity instills a sense of inescapable dread which the band themselves describes as “somewhere between a fever dream and a claustrophobic nightmare.” Come ye what horrors await, I am gleefully prepared.
