Some fine and most noteworthy black metal outfits have emerged from the cold and windswept shores of Iceland and this one, Nyrst, is right up there with the very best of them and have an awful lot to offer if you are on the lookout for a harsh soundtrack with a bleak atmosphere to it. As it turns out, Nyrst actually translates to “northernmost” in Icelandic and I find that rather appropriate in that it actually sounds as if this batch of twisted music originated somewhere so desolate and unpleasant that it must have almost been beyond the reach of man. The ensemble was conceived back in 2013 and then released its first demo three years later while “Orsök” serves as the debut offering.

On the face of it, one could be led into thinking that “Orsök” consists of relatively raw and simple black metal, but there is way more than meets the eye here, which becomes evident once you start unraveling its dense and thick aura as well as its many grim layers. The songs themselves strike a good balance between dissonance and melody while a constant flow of darkness and horror simmers underneath it at all times. Perhaps it is the overwhelmingly ominous vibe of the record coupled with those strangely majestic outbursts that make this such a captivating listening experience? There is a nasty and punishing side to the disc and yet somehow there is an unsettling sense of beauty to be found within its musical sphere too. In other words, it is the many contrasts and the way in which they collide that provides the LP with so much venom and intensity. The vocals are effective and borderline haunting in places and they certainly get the job done in case you were wondering. A few nods and winks to acts ala Slidhr (Ireland), Sinmara (Iceland), and Taake (Norway) also present themselves throughout, but that is merely a backhanded way of saying that if you dig those bands then surely Nyrst will appeal to your delicate taste in music.

“Orsök” does require a solid amount of spins before it all really starts to make sense and fall into place, but it is well worth it and the album is sufficiently rich in both depth and malevolence to warrant repeated listens and analysis without necessarily being overly original.

Before I forget, you can check the aforementioned 2013 demo out here should you be interested: https://nyrst.bandcamp.com/album/demo