Kaleikr - Heart of Lead (2019)

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Icelandic metal has garnered the attention and reverence of many, predominantly in the underground bestial arenas–most likely, I would imagine, due to the intellectually impetuous execution of the sound and the brazen Icelandic ethos when it comes to writing music (I've had my ear to the ground with Icelandic music since my visit in 2010 and have attended multiple Iceland Airwaves festival since) and their unmatched ability to amalgamate between sounds and influences in a way that remains true to its purist form while pushing boundaries in a way that fails to be contrived.

Let's quickly pay heed to all of Iceland's impressive successes within the last few years;

Sinmara, Svartidauði, Misþyrming, Kaleikr, Wormlust, Ljáin, Carpe Noctem, Naðra, Zhrine, Mannveira, Örmagna, Almyrkvi, Auðn, Skáphe (partially)

Notable company for a windswept country of only 300, 000.

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Kaleikr were instantly interesting for me, being that they are another metal band from the quiver of Iceland, a new metal band to sink my teeth into and digest and judge, to enjoy or condemn, etc. In summation, once I noticed the progressive tag slapped to the pigeon-holing process of applying genre tags to music, I winced and cringed, mostly because most pieces of progressive music I'm turned onto never really strike any chord with me or are too farcical to take seriously. That being said, I am still no stranger to the genre so I kept my closed-mind open-minded.

Kaleikr's take on fusing death metal, doom, black and flourishes of the grandiosity of atmospheric pagan metal with the tumbling structure of progressive metal has been thoroughly enjoyable. Heart of Lead manages this concoction with an expertly ease, an acumen in genre melding; At times i'm reminded of something like Panopticon and Saor (mostly akin to the drumming nature), to Be'lakor and the psychedelic tinged moments of Wormlust, etc, etc.

Before I get to verbose with my keyboard fingers, I'll leave this post with this and only this; Though things of this sonic nature are slightly under my own personal radar these days, I dig almost everything in and around Heart of lead, a very tight debut, at the very least. 

Kaleikr - Heart of Lead (bandcamp)