Germany’s FYRNASK started as a one-man band in 2008 and became a full band in 2014. Many times, at least in Black Metal, it evolves in reverse of that. But Fyrnd chose to expand the sound, I suppose. Which is usually a good thing. A fuller sound opens up the music giving it breathing room, instead of sounding condensed and muffled. It’s been five years since “Fórn”, yet the band still feels as if there was no lapse in time. The fourth full-length “VII – Kenoma” is epic and engaging. ‘Hrævaþefr’ opens the album with atmospheric guitars and faint keyboards until around 2 1/2 minutes where the aural fog picks up the intensity leading to even heavier guitars, drums and vocals. It’s pure old school Black Metal, with more sweeping layers than most of its genre. The guitars blur, the drums are ever-changing, and the vocals are subterranean. ‘Sjóðandi Blóð’ is an eternal slumber that whispers and gently traipses across the ramparts in an eerie haze. And just when you think your mind has drifted into a hypnotic trance, an eruption of sonic floodwaters envelop you into their sheer churning intensity. ‘Niðamyrkr’ follows the same path as the first two tracks… somber then fiery. The ocean tides bring in the sound of bells as ‘Helreginn’, a buzzing wall of behemoth – like proportions, enshrouds us in its encapsulating somnolence. ‘Dauðvána’ begins as a quiet track that morphs into a beauteous amalgamation of melancholy and riveting emotion. Rain heralds the end of the album with ‘Blótguð’, as faint tribal drums and the voice of a siren entrances us, holding us to her will. And for the first time this album, we’re not steamrolled with Black Metal fury. FYRNASK have recorded an album of pure listening pleasure. From aggression to sadness to feelings of loss, “VII – Kenoma” is a sweltering mass of powerful songs that broaden the Black Metal horizons as being more than just blasphemy and hatred. The band’s come into their own and carrying the torch for moving forward. For more info, check out www.facebook.com/fyrnask, www.van-records.com