Iotunn - Waves over Copenhell (2026)

After blowing everybody away with their majestic 2024 release “Kinship”, Iotunn has been making the rounds playing their highly melancholic music to live audiences. Lucky for those of us that haven’t been close enough to catch them live, Metal Blade opens 2026 with the band’s “Waves over Copenhell” live album. Featuring five tracks and tons of energy, the band gives us a little glimpse of their live show.

Opening with “Waves Below”, the band showcases fierce rawness and their signature emotive sound that oozes melancholy. Jón Aldará is a very talented vocalist and masterfully showcases his range as Jesper Gräs and Jens Nicolai Gräs guitars lead the way. The band’s live sound seems to be more organic and powerful, delivering tracks like “The Tower of Cosmic Nihility” and “Access All Worlds” with a vicious edge, while keeping things engaging and heavy.

Oddly enough, “Mistland” is the only song in this release from their 2024 album, which the band kicks off with excellent drumming and a very moody atmosphere. One of the surprises of this live release is that the sound feels natural and not overly polished, avoiding sounding exactly like their studio release, giving fans a glimpse of their live sound, instead of just a slightly different version of a studio song.

As the release closes with the blistering guitar solos and ripping bass guitar line of “Voyage of the Garganey I”, we are left more intrigued to catch the band live in the future. With some touring dates already confirmed for 2026, we hope to catch the band live at Brutal Assault this summer. If you are skeptical of getting a live release that might suck, fear no more, “Waves over Copenhell” does an excellent job in capturing the band’s live power, while keeping some of the mystery intact for experiencing the real thing.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: January 9th, 2025

Genre: Progressive Melodic Death Metal

Country: Denmark