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Katla. - Allt Þetta Helvítis Myrkur



7.7 | 61 votes |
Release date: 13 November 2020
Style: Post-metal

Owners:

25 have it
4 want it


01. Ást Orðum Ofar
02. Villuljós
03. Líkfundur Á Sólheimasandi
04. Sálarsvefn
05. Vergangur
06. Hvítamyrkur
07. Húsavíkur-Jón
08. Allt Þetta Helvítis Myrkur
09. Svartnætti

Staff review by
musclassia
Rating:
8.0
Guðmundur Óli Pálmason's abrupt departure from Sólstafir offered plenty of drama back in 2015; however, in terms of musical output, this split seems to have been a productive one for Pálmason.

Read more ››
published 08.11.2020 | Comments (3)

Found in 13 lists
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Comments

Comments: 13   Visited by: 205 users
13.11.2020 - 21:49
Rating: 9
(o> . )

Well, I think there's a good enough reason and relevancy to compare this listening experience to the latest Sólstafir record. Now, I'll make my very own, arbitrary personal comparison of those two experiences.

"Endless Twilight Of Codependent Love" felt like a sluggish, boring fever dream, that at times I did enjoyed. Unfortunately, the parts I have enjoyed were outweighed by that feverish boredom. I've wrote more about it on that album's page, it's not necessarily bad to be completely fair.

"Allt Þetta Helvítis Myrkur" felt, on the other hand, like a lucid experience. I felt more present in the soundscape, the soundscape of what the album itself describes as "The infamous Icelandic low ... a large and persistent atmospheric low-pressure centre that forms between Iceland and Greenland". I think this album does a good job of placing me, acoustically and emotionally, into such a setting. I get a greater clarity and purpose in it, I can almost feel the huge body of cold air moving across the sky as I'm listening to this.

Overall, I think it's a very interesting listen. It goes in and out of more droning and simplistic sequences, into some with more movement and variation. I like the transitions most of the time, mix is pretty damn good and there are some surprising moments that you'd expect to hear in a prog record.

I guess what I would say, is that for me personally, this album is a lot more cohesive than Sólstafir's. I don't normally like to compare bands, but I just couldn't help myself here. Especially when listening to both of them on the same day.

Worth keeping in mind is that I can't really take lyrics into account, me no speak Icelandic. Also, Katla has the benefit of still being a fresh project. It's harder for Sólstafir to keep bringing their signature style and not be stale. That is unless you can't get enough of it, I suppose.
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15.11.2020 - 16:31
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
That damn Darkness, what we have in a north this time of the year,
This band is not in ma, weird.
Better as last few solstafir. Its heavy, many variations in genre mix, instruments and sound wideness, singing part are heavy and metal.
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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15.11.2020 - 20:14
Rating: 8
musclassia

Written by (o> . <o> ) on 13.11.2020 at 21:49

Well, I think there's a good enough reason and relevancy to compare this listening experience to the latest Sólstafir record. Now, I'll make my very own, arbitrary personal comparison of those two experiences.

"Endless Twilight Of Codependent Love" felt like a sluggish, boring fever dream, that at times I did enjoyed. Unfortunately, the parts I have enjoyed were outweighed by that feverish boredom. I've wrote more about it on that album's page, it's not necessarily bad to be completely fair.

"Allt Þetta Helvítis Myrkur" felt, on the other hand, like a lucid experience. I felt more present in the soundscape, the soundscape of what the album itself describes as "The infamous Icelandic low ... a large and persistent atmospheric low-pressure centre that forms between Iceland and Greenland". I think this album does a good job of placing me, acoustically and emotionally, into such a setting. I get a greater clarity and purpose in it, I can almost feel the huge body of cold air moving across the sky as I'm listening to this.

Overall, I think it's a very interesting listen. It goes in and out of more droning and simplistic sequences, into some with more movement and variation. I like the transitions most of the time, mix is pretty damn good and there are some surprising moments that you'd expect to hear in a prog record.

I guess what I would say, is that for me personally, this album is a lot more cohesive than Sólstafir's. I don't normally like to compare bands, but I just couldn't help myself here. Especially when listening to both of them on the same day.

Worth keeping in mind is that I can't really take lyrics into account, me no speak Icelandic. Also, Katla has the benefit of still being a fresh project. It's harder for Sólstafir to keep bringing their signature style and not be stale. That is unless you can't get enough of it, I suppose.


Yeah, I resorted to comparisons with Solstafir's new album in my review, and this one blows Endless Twilight... out of the water
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15.11.2020 - 20:31
Rating: 9
(o> . )

Written by musclassia on 15.11.2020 at 20:14

Yeah, I resorted to comparisons with Solstafir's new album in my review, and this one blows Endless Twilight... out of the water

Yup I've noticed, read the review and found myself agreeing with it!
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15.11.2020 - 22:44
Starvynth
i c deaf people
Written by Bad English on 15.11.2020 at 16:31

This band is not in ma, weird.

Not weird at all.

Hint:
Post-Rock
Metal-Archives
----
signatures = SPAM
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15.11.2020 - 23:13
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by Starvynth on 15.11.2020 at 22:44

Written by Bad English on 15.11.2020 at 16:31

This band is not in ma, weird.

Not weird at all.

Hint:
Post-Rock
Metal-Archives

Well its heavy to me to be there, its s half way to be post metal.
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
15.11.2020 - 23:17
Rating: 5
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Bad English on 15.11.2020 at 23:13

Well its heavy to me to be there, its s half way to be post metal.

Admins at MA are too restrictive to let something like this on their site. We're open to accepting a lot more metal-related bands here even if they aren't strictly metal.
----
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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16.11.2020 - 08:11
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Written by Troy Killjoy on 15.11.2020 at 23:17

Written by Bad English on 15.11.2020 at 23:13

Well its heavy to me to be there, its s half way to be post metal.

Admins at MA are too restrictive to let something like this on their site. We're open to accepting a lot more metal-related bands here even if they aren't strictly metal.


They should listen it, I have saved many url from glam bands in MA what was deleted, because its to pop and so on, but I think they should listen this one, to me its heavy enough,
MA has few good bands as Halgadom what never will be in MS, but we have better policy to eding bands even I dont like Igorr and few crap bandsd but we have much better policy , even after 1 year I accepted non metal article what guy from Moldovija started.
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
16.11.2020 - 10:13
Rating: 8
musclassia

Written by Troy Killjoy on 15.11.2020 at 23:17

Written by Bad English on 15.11.2020 at 23:13

Well its heavy to me to be there, its s half way to be post metal.

Admins at MA are too restrictive to let something like this on their site. We're open to accepting a lot more metal-related bands here even if they aren't strictly metal.


To be fair to BE, I do think this album is clearly metal rather than just post-rock
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19.11.2020 - 15:25
coldhotdog

Guðmundur from Katla here. I don't usually comment on pages like these but I want to make it absolutely clear that we consider ourselves a metal band. No postrock fan would ever label Katla as post rock and there is no doubt our music is heavier than many bands that are rightly labelled as metal bands. This whole discussion is ridiculous.
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19.11.2020 - 15:34
Rating: 9
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by coldhotdog on 19.11.2020 at 15:25

Guðmundur from Katla here. I don't usually comment on pages like these but I want to make it absolutely clear that we consider ourselves a metal band. No postrock fan would ever label Katla as post rock and there is no doubt our music is heavier than many bands that are rightly labelled as metal bands. This whole discussion is ridiculous.

Fixed
----
Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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21.11.2020 - 23:40
Rating: 9
tintinb

Wonderful album this is. 2020 can be a shitty year but it is quite giving in terms of good music.
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Leeches everywhere.
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01.12.2020 - 23:53
Rating: 9
Zyk

I'm not going to compare this to Solstafir's new album because honestly I feel like it's hard enough to compare this to Móðurástin.

I think I might prefer Móðurástin over this slightly, but it is going to take me a long time and many listens to properly peel back the layers of Allt Þetta Helvítis Myrkur. It is quite an ever changing journey and as it grows it becomes more rewarding. Everything feels very genuine and passionate too. Some parts in the first few tracks were a little questionable but halfway through I was hooked. This album, and moreover Katla in general, refuses to be one thing and constantly presses on to expand its boundaries and it is easy to get swept away while listening.

This is definitely an atmosphere album but there is plenty of great progressive writing and many surprises throughout. I'm sure this isn't for everybody but I quite enjoyed it and would say that if you want an experience that's a little more unique and entrancing then here you go. At the very least I can say that "Allt Þetta Helvítis Myrkur" earns its name.

Húsavíkur-Jón is probably my favorite song from this year.
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