Though unadorned with the storm laden blitz of guitar or the remorseless assault of the modern drum, it is possible to see the appeal of an artist like Forndom to the fan of more prosaic forms of ‘extreme music’. The link to Northern European heritage and culture and composers within the Viking metal, black metal or folk metal arenas is clear; And it is surely only a short step from those musics to the soundtrack of fantasy television shows, also the beloved preserve of the everyman heavy metal fan.

With these parameters established, it is easy to receive enjoyment from the seven pieces offered by Forndom on Faþir. Heavy metal this is not; however, the intensity of feeling generated by music in this sphere is easily the equal to any heavily amplified hymn to Odin that you might care to envisage. The hypnotic maelstrom of Fostersonen taunts the listener, defying one to resist it’s all-encompassing sway. The piece which perhaps establishes Forndom as a serious presence in the Scandinavian scene, a force not to be taken lightly or merely dismissed as being merely part of a wider movement as opposed to a leader of same, is Hel, jag vet mig väntar. Here Forndom coalesce the diverse strains of thought found elsewhere on the record into a single, cohesive whole. The artist’s natural reticence maintains an understatement throughout the duration of the piece, thus avoiding the pitfall of bombast which attracts so many in this field. The lack of a crescendo nevertheless loses nothing in impact; the hymnal nature of the piece rises naturally to a sombre final passage, wherein a single gong strike shatters the tumescent thunderhead, allowing the piece to ebb away from the listener in a thousand shards of ebon unlight.

The artist seeks to form a connection to other times and worlds through the creations proffered on Faþir; And as a listener the reviewer can certainly concur that such a connection is made and maintained throughout the seven pieces, meaning that unmitigated success is the result.

Faþir is out on April 3rd.