At the heart of a new winter

 

By Manuel Gemperli

Every time I hit play on Iron Firmament’s “In The Land of Pre-Human Kings” I immediately get “At the Heart of Winter” vibes which obviously makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, since that is clearly Immortal’s best work. Don’t worry, this isn’t a straight-up tribute like Lamp of Murmuur’s “Saturnian Bloodstorm” (which is not a dig. M. has proven his creativity and versatility. It’s a great record even though it always makes me wanna listen to the original). Iron Firmament lean a bit more atmospheric than old-school wide-legged heavy metal within their black metal framework, but we’re still being treated with some Abbathian riffing. They may overdo the “atmospheric” a bit on the first 5:45 minutes (yep) of the title track, but for the most part, they know when to let a riff or a theme breathe and when to pick up speed to full effect. The pacing and the slightly mournful yet dark and aggressive riffs paired with the Norwegian-style broken tape recorder production make you get lost in that glorious Northern vibe. It’s great to hear somebody still finding ways to make that feel fresh and exciting.