Hamferð - Men Gu​ð​s hond er sterk

Hamferð is a melodic death doom band that formed in 2008. “Men Gu​ð​s hond er sterk” is their full-length album. They have also releases two EPs.

This album hits pretty damn to be so melodic. For every atmospheric passage or melodic note, there is a monstrous riff or the lead heavy dropping of the bass guitar. The drumming is intricate and dances around the lighter parts perfectly but turns devilishly ferocious when the need rises.

Vocalist Jón Aldará (also from Barren Earth), brings the pain with some of the best extreme vocals I've heard this year. He is just as talented with cleans, which continue to be one of the more unique styles in the scene.

“Ábær,” begins the album, with a very urgent and immediate sound. The guitar tone is deep but sharp—each note, each riff is deadly. 

The drums perfectly complimented the soaring clean vocals before the band doubles down on a heavier passage. The last half of the song is a murky doom but it's also surprisingly vibrant.

“Marrusorg,” brings out a somber, more melancholic side of the band. Gentle clean instrumentation and quiet cleans begin the song. The tapestry may be lighter but it's layered and dense in its own way. 

These moments are interspersed with heavier portions, the cleans rise above it all while the drum and bas keep it grounded. 

Thick riffs, like a pure wall of sound, open “Í hamferð.” This dirge is almost ethereal in the first half, the band comfortable in their journey through a misty veil. The later of the song is both a bit more chaotic and even had a blackened feel to it. But the spirt of the first half shines through, the two parts contrasting musically yet emotionally comparable.

Hamferð pulls out all the stops with “Hvølja,” a sinister dirge if there ever was one. The slow impending doom brings an apocalyptic feel to the music.

The bass threatens to vibrant the song apart but the shouting clean vocals bridge the song halves together. This is possibly my favorite song on the album

With “Men Gu​ð​s hond er sterk,” Hamferð have created an album that is as dynamic as it heavy. A true melding of beauty and the beast because it combines the oppressive, and depressive, approach of doom with the tapestry and sonic beauty of more atmospheric conditions and textures.