Review: Hamferð Evoke Ancient Aquatic Horror on Men Guðs Hond Er Sterk
At its very core, Hamferð‘s latest album Men Guðs hond er sterk is the epic death/doom saga about a seafaring disaster we didn’t know we needed. Set to release this Friday, March 22 via Metal Blade Records, it’s a concept album that trawls the dark, watery depths for a uniquely evocative listen.
The record is a concept album based on a harrowing local event: the 1915 whaling disaster off the Faroe Island village of Sandvik. The album’s title translates to “God’s Hand is Strong” in English, and like most of their work, the song is very personal to the area they hail from, the Faroe Islands.
Men Guðs hond er sterk was recorded live in the studio, without a click-track, and features a stripped-down approach that pulsates with a life of its own. It shifts from passages of glacial post-metallic beauty through sorrowful folky goth cadences, via icy blackened blast-beats to shuddering vistas of extreme doom mastery.
The concept for this album is also one that’s close to home as Hamferð’s keyboardist Esmar Joensen hails from the village where the tragedy took place. The fateful event went down in infamy when 14 men died driving whales ashore in the stormy bay. The village population witnessed the tragedy from the seaside.
As this is a doomy record, it’s more focused on flow and cohesion than singles and bangers, but that doesn’t mean the songs don’t stand out. “Ábær” kicks things off with a slow and somber sound that definitely carries through the rest of the album. Although it’s hard to pick standout songs from a concept album, “Glæman” is probably both the saddest and the heaviest song, channeling what it probably actually felt like to be a part of this epic disaster.
Throughout the record, there is a sense that everything is connecting and telling a bigger story. “Í hamferð” is fittingly one of the most powerful and lilting, personal-feeling songs on the record, and definitely memorable.
And unlike some slower, more intentional records, things don’t slow down at the end. “Hvølja” is another super solid track, one that best showcases the bands riffing and death metal proclivities. And the title track at the end of the album ties everything together well, ending in a sad and destructive ebb and flow.
If you’re looking for a banger of a record with a bunch of singles, this isn’t it, but if you still have the patience for a full album with all its stops, starts, and the overall story it has to tell, this is definitely worth a listen.
Hamferð’s Men Guðs hond er sterk will be available this Friday, March 22 via Metal Blade Records. Preorder your copy today.
