If you’ve ever wondered how echoes from the deepest caverns of hell might sound, we’ve stumbled upon an auditory journey where darkness, aggression, and ethereal atmospheres converge on Draumsýnir eldsins (Dream Visions of the Fire), an album forged by Icelandic/U.S. black metal band Martröð. Draumsýnir eldsins is the long-awaited debut full-length, following the Transmutation of Wounds EP released in 2016.
Draumsýnir eldsins crashes down like a Siberian ice tsunami, obliterating everything in its wake. This album is a savage entity—a volcanic detonation of sound fueled by razor-edged riffs pushed beyond the breaking point, a deranged and berserk rhythm section, and growls of terror that tear through the mix like open wounds.
The members of Martröð—H.V. (vocals, bowed and auxiliary guitars, intermezzos), A.P. (lead and rhythm guitars), M.H.P. (bass), and J.B. (drums)—are also active in underground extreme metal acts such as Wormlust (Iceland), Chaos Moon (U.S.), and the now-disbanded duo Skáphe. They weave an atmosphere of obscure themes, chaos, demonic surrealism, and mind-bending textures into a relentless, high-intensity sonic loop.
The four rather long tracks on Draumsýnir eldsins showcase a surprising diversity, with psychedelic fragments, strange vocal textures, unexpected breaks, quirky intermezzos, and the addition of the Selfoss Symphonic Choir on the mesmerising title track, ‘Sköpunin’. Also noteworthy are the contributions of collaborating musicians: Nyiþ (additional instrumentation on ‘Dauðinn’), Bjarni Einarsson (additional drums on ‘Dauðinn’), and Olivia Wilding (cello on ‘Sköpunin’).
Draumsýnir eldsins is an addictive piece of black metal that doesn’t simply incinerate your synapses and brain cells into dust—Martröð deliberately weaves in slower, more peaceful passages to grant the listener a brief, eerie respite. To describe Martröð: imagine the speed and technical intensity of Akhlys, the brutality of Dark Funeral’s first album, the haunting and transcendent atmosphere of Malacht Unlimited, and the psychotropic noise of Oranssi Pazuzu. Simply put—just let us drown in the fascinating pandemonium that is Martröð.
