Iotunn - Kinship (2024)

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If you thought that Iotunn’s debut release was impressive, wait until you hear how epic “Kinship” is. Taking their lively Progressive Melodic Metal sound to new heights, this release delivers eight highly emotional tracks that clock in at nearly 70 minutes of music. Perfectly surrounding Jón Aldará with excellent musicians and song-writers, this release is a testament on how retooling of traditional/progressive Metal elements and styles can work wonders with the right talent behind the vocals.

Opening with the dreamy and emotive “Kingship Elegiac”, the band rapidly sets a very melancholic vibe that brilliantly fits the emotion of Jón Aldará vocals. As the distorted guitars and weeping leads come into play, this track has hooked anybody that likes melodic/melancholic music, and it is just the beginning of this 13-minute piece. The proggy nature of the band’s music keeps things dynamic and very different from your run-of-the-mill Melodic Death Metal band, focusing more on creating epic moody melodies than on headbanging passages, as “Mistalnd” powerfully delivers.

The band does keep things heavy at times with songs like “Twilight”, “Earth to Sky”, and “The Coming End” having lush melodic interludes, harsh vocals, and crushing drumming. This last track also has a certain Primordial-esque vibe, thanks to the soaring clean vocals and playful tempo changes. Some of the chorus sections on songs like “Earth to Sky” have that epic Power/Heavy Metal approach, making the band’s sound even more expansive and dynamic, considering this track also has some furious Black Metal-ish onslaughts.

As the release closes with the piercing harsh screams contrasted by soaring clean vocals in “The Anguished Ethereal”, we are left quite impressed with the wide variety of influences and elements that Iotunn masterfully incorporates into their own unique sound. We labeled their music as Progressive Melodic Metal as these are the general core elements of the band’s sound, but there are plenty of Doom, Death, and even Black Metal infusions to greatly enhance the band’s music and keep the listener always guessing. If you want something well polished, epic, and quite dynamic, check this one out.

Band: Iotunn Album: Kinship

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: October 25th, 2024

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Genre: Progressive Melodic Metal

Country: Denmark

Rating: 97/100
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