This is neither a desolate place nor is it such a state of devastation so profound that the mind is entirely lost. Instead we witness an artful shattering of the realm, an incomplete destruction which’d muse upon the jagged combinations of various meaningless mental constructs necessary to shape sense back into the mosaic of the wreckage which Reykjavík, Iceland-based melodic blackened death metal quintet Úlfúð throttle us into, several riffs at at time, on this impressive debut full-length album. ‘Of Existential Distortion‘ is a clustered-up rasp of enthusiasm for all things extreme metal which has been honed into a single wide-angled channel ’til it reads as a slick and sublimely obsidian undertaking, one which side-steps the meandering, strident spirit of the band’s formative material for the sake of a strong melodic focus, groove-paved landscapes cut into a desolate black plane. An insistent, ever-escalating sense of movement characterizes their introduction in the midst of the greater scene illustrated, a cinematic ride wherein the full listen is dense with interest yet eternally occupied with puzzling together greater purpose.

Úlfúð formed as a quintet back in 2015 between fellowes from the original line-up of Draugsól, the drummer from Abacination and folks who have been key members of Narthraal since around that same time. If you’re well informed on Icelandic black and death metal and are still out there searching for a continuation of ‘Volaða land‘ you won’t find it here despite finding some similarly distressed lyrical themes and a very light hint of post-millennium Enslaved in some of their rhythm guitar phrasing. That’ll be neither here nor there as we hurtle back about five years when they’d released a debut mLP (‘First Sermon‘, 2018) which’d sported a somewhat plain admixture of semi-melodic death metal, meandering rhythmic currents and a clangorous full-shouted approach to its blackening. Beyond that first gasp one of the guitarists left in 2019 and soon formed Forsmán, leaving the spot open for Nyrst guitarist Eysteinn Orri and this overall seems like a much better fit, if only because the style and focus Úlfúð have found on this debut LP is, well, just better music and impressive in every way that their first EP wasn’t. You could definitely go back to that first release for additional perspective but that was the dynamic of the band less than half-formed.

From my point of view the only reasonable way to introduce Úlfúð is as a “melodic blackened death metal” band, if only for the sake of setting up expectations of melody as first-chair purpose in each song, blackened affect a distant second note, and a core built upon large-cut death metal riffs atop a rhythm section that appreciates a snapping-hot grinding groove once in a while. What could possible sew these things together? I’d go as far as to suggest that progressive black metal is the deeper-set soul of this creature and only their vested interest in death metal staves this off enough to generate a unique atmosphere. The effect is not unlike the bounding best of late 90’s Aeternus at certain points on the album, “Faceless” particularly jogs at such a patiently stomped pace, and this doesn’t leave us so distant from early 2000’s Immortal in some vague sense even, but of course there are more modern conglomerated groups which serve this Bathory-esque epic stride nearby death metal aggression otherwise. This is admittedly an emphasis on the periphery, where the tracers take me as I gather my thoughts, but perhaps the most obvious remark to make is that the biggest hooks, the best riffs, and the parts you’ll remember from the very first listen all strongly resemble melodic death metal’s finer inspirations, even delving into the spiritus of early melodic black/death when the intensity kicks up on certain pieces.

The listening experience begins a big and blustering event which is difficult to sum beyond its initial exploration from macro hooks unto pagan black-edged melodies and memorable melodic death grooves (“Tears of Terra”), which carry the bigger moments and a few major points of respite (“The Gods Left Behind”) up front until Úlfúð takes a more cinematic, painterly stroke beyond the major phrasing available to modern melodic black/death metal. I’m not sure there is any appropriately artful way to suggest that the combination of all of these things is rad, especially as we cut right into the most obvious ear-grabber up front: opener “Where Strange Lights Dance” which to me feels appropriately built to catch the ear and introduce their dark vision. This opening song has two major rhythm guitar phrases which fall into a ‘Terminal Spirit Disease‘-esque realm of twist-to-reveal despite the rhythm section otherwise registering along the lines of the more striding pieces on ‘Mardraum (Beyond the Within)‘. As we’re urgently ushered toward the ~3:05 minute mark where the clincher, the first “buy this record” moment, hits and likely convinces many listeners right there on the spot ‘Of Existential Distortion‘ makes its first irresistible argument and, eh, a fleeting one to start.

We’re not far from another big moment up front in the sequence with “Tears of Terra” picking this maximally charged, thundering melodic death mode right back up and charging into it. They’ve not connected the dots into grand consonant phrasal excess here in terms of riffs, not to the point that it feels like a ‘throwback’ but instead the guitarists rely upon transitional or punctuative hits to seal off each thought, much in the way an early Amon Amarth piece might, making for an experience later 90’s melodic death metal fans will appreciate for its warbling grooves despite this being far more of a bludgeoning, tank-like approach. This charged tone only lasts for the first three songs as “Faceless” soon takes us unto the doubting, contemplative nether wherein Úlfúð present a sleepier piece which sets up the flipside’s sea-change. It’d be fair to say that those seeking a continuation of this exciting battle mode will find this pieces a killing blow to the momentum the rest of Side A built but I’d felt it rounded the experience with a simple, evocative melodic progression if we’re treating the experience as separate but equal halves.

Side B begins with two more glowingly melodic pieces, almost resetting the tone of the album to a more determined yet low key register wherein “The Gods Left Behind” reads as the late album signifier beyond the tunnel vision of classic melodeath — the sort of part the sky, howl at the moon-goddess sort of moment you’ll find in a lot of post-’97 Dark Tranquillity inspired records. Though I was riled up by the first three songs on the album to start I’d eventually have to admit Úlfúð do shine within these sort of “mid-paced” pieces which allow both guitarists to showcase their knack for introspective, entranced compositions especially as we reach “Questions” and to some degree the eight and a half minute “An Elegy to a Paradise Out of Reach”, a crucial piece in terms of landing at a point where the listener is either impressed or already falling off. I’d been somewhere in the middle with the song itself as I’d enjoyed the main riff but wasn’t sure the last two minutes of the album were justified when the album closer (“Leviathan Dreams“) spends a moment or two in a more effective state of sleepiness to start.

‘Of Existential Distortion‘ fades more than it explodes in finale and this is probably the only damage the full listen suffers overall, uneventful transitional points which are built up to be major. It isn’t that the album lacks follow-through for all of the bluster it creates but that their larger statement naturally wilts and that’ll require a patient listener to start. When left on repeat the opening numbers do well to reprise the greater tragedian storm of it all and the record eventually proves itself repeatable, easily picked up and enjoyed in a full sitting or three thanks to a few big riffs and enough of a rhythmic spectacle to build some reasonable fealty over time. If we can take a step back and appreciate the meticulous yet still aggressively stated vision of Úlfúð‘s modern melodic death debut it certainly does stand out as an already mature beyond its years gig, one that is just memorable enough to leave a mark while they soldier on attending to whatever perfection lies ahead.

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