Óreiða - Óreiða (2019)

Unleashing a 34 minute dose of Atmospheric Black Metal, today we have Iceland’s latest export: Óreiða. In this self-titled debut release, this one entity outfit delivers a dissonant Black Metal sound filled with hatred and brutality. While not as raw as your typical BM bands, the music presented here is crafted to incite discomfort and repulsion… in a good way.

Opening with the pummeling “Dagar”, we get a powerful wall of sound crafted by the hellish distorted guitars and the furious pace. The guitar layering gives this track that extra punch to incite unrest. The violent onslaught continues with the raw brutality of “Draumar”, a track that slowly builds up by adding some atmospheric elements and creating a more dramatic aural assault.

Feeling like gale force winds blowing through your face, “Daudi” continues the hypnotic onslaught of crushing riffs. The band’s sound pummels the listener with its intensity and thanks to its repetitive nature, it engrains itself in their psyche. Invoking a later Burzum vibe, the release closes with the hellish “Draugar”, the most punishing and intense track in this release.

As a whole, “Óreiða” is a solid debut from this unique entity. While Óreiða’s sound is still evolving, it shows great promise with the four songs presented here. One of its biggest strengths, its repetitive intensity, is also a weakness as some tracks should have been a bit shorter than presented. If you are in the market for new and exciting Black Metal bands to watch evolve, do not miss out of this one.

Label: Harvest of Death / Signal Rex

Release:May 13th, 2019

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Country: Iceland