The appreciation of beauty is the cause effect of a mere opinion, one cannot dictate to others that something is the most beautiful thing around. It can be inferred to objects and it can be directed towards spiritual things, like music for example, it is all a matter of taste. Though as a Metalhead I think that it's the best music genre the world has ever known, many think otherwise. Well, I can't blame them because I believe that in order to understand Metal and us Metalheads following our addiction and sole positive reception; it's something beyond reason and not for everyone to comprehend. On the other hand, within our Metal society we are also divided between what is considered beautiful and attractive and what is false, tainted and foul, though sometimes foul can be considered as something to brag about. That same feeling of being divided kept me going throughout my listening sessions with this new album, which goes by the name of "Sem Skugginn", I got from Code666 Records by a band named DYNFARI, a twosome crew from Iceland. Through them I once again understood Black Metal's development over the years and how it can touch the soul even in its rawest of forms.

As much as I found "Sem Skugginn" haunting, I also found it hard to digest, difficult to contain. Sure that it bears additional various of harmonic riches than your usual Black Metal album of the Norwegian kind of the early 90s along with its musical rawness, Yet, it stretched itself for no apparent reason. The music strode between old school Black Metal in the range of early DARKTHRONE while stepping in and out into various types of progression following fast trill picking issuing melodic riffing, double bass drum menace and awkward doom like tempos sheering with sluggishness, smothered vocals in rough Icelandic, and a strapping chill of utter frost. I tried finding the logic within the songs' structures, but I found none. As a matter of fact, I was quite intrigued by that lack of logic and free style composition. Even so, DYNFARI tended to get stuck with passages that seemed endless while only contributing to a painful boredom that came over me every now and then. The stagnant opener and closer, "Glötun" & "Eilífð" didn't elevate anything as far as a listening experience goes. It proved to be such a waste of time, I couldn't help but thinking of the time it probably took this crew to record it, it was pooper than any type of Lounge music. Things got better when "Myrkrasalir"'s turn came. DYNFARI may have showed their raw form on this one but still they made it with style. I was captivated by the collaboration of the main melodic riff with the great vocals that stood firm. The music was more in the old school vein but yet it also diverted from time to time into mild sections of pure blackish softness. This track might be a long one but it swept me easily as if there was no time running out at all. "Stillt" was also a very convincing instrumental, like a hymn for the gods. "Augnablik" turned out to be a little more violent and straightforward at first, its main lead trill riffing ruled the day and night by its impressive dominance and quality playing. More or less these two were similar yet the latter made me like this crew even more as it advanced to various of other interesting sections.

As far as the rest of the tracks go, I respected this duo's will to experiment on such extremities, and I value their efforts. However, along with their efforts they didn't create compositions that would remain as solar flares. I could sense that they wished to introduce several of other elements in their music but the end result was that they stuffed their music with too much and stretched their songs way beyond needed as most of the tracks consisted of standstill rhythms, like burying yourself in the snow. "Sem Skugginn"showed me a band that is worth checking out, but there is more work to be done.