Although they may be similar to the Norwegian and Swedish bands of the second wave era like Enslaved, Windir, Satyricon, and Bathory. The sonic art of the trio Árni (drums, strings, string instruments, effects, vocals & choirs) Stefán (guitars, bass, vocals & choirs), and, Marsél (storyteller, vocals & choirs) expertly weave a balance to the acoustic folk and orchestral parts that is overwhelmingly beautiful.

“Aldrlok” is an epic journey that exhibits a professional level of binding the sheer beauty of composition and the majestic black metal to add a sense of a dark, epic touch; the opening grandeur “Hvítir hjǫrvar Heimdalls aldraðra fjallgylða” unleashes a cornucopia of magnificent sounds. The display of the narration and the instruments are perfectly mixed with powerful Viking black metal, there are plenty of tremolo-picked riffs, blast beats, and shrieking vocals defining this work as one of their most black metal-oriented albums to date.

The album is a compelling listening experience conveyed with the true inspiration of Paganism and shows how Árstíðir Lífsins has been dedicated to its majestic craft. The storyteller particularly has deep vocals, adding a bombastic element to the following song “Stormr, hvítundit grand grundar gjálfrs“. The nine tracks envision the majestic scale as it demonstrates a wide range of black metal roots of classic and modern styles, the guitars are heavily amplified with each track sounding medieval and atmospheric.

The black metal elements are present, they sound dark while the songs rely upon injecting fast tremolo-picked riffs they are saturated with classic black metal a la Bathory and Hades style. “Er faðir kulda ok myrkrs hopar fyrir endalausum vegi Ránar” offers such a grand spectacle in the opening moments, the tremolo-picked riffs are perfectly timed with the blast beats and ushering for multiple tempo changes. The majestic theme of the album brings the traditional folk passages to create brilliant cinematic landscapes.

The use of shrieking vocals is kept furiously as the blasting drums, this pattern allows the music to flow through the splendid narration and capture the Pagan folk sound of the pure instruments like the strings, viola, cello, and synth are beautifully layered. “Eftir bjartlogar hróts hreggs kveikja ógnarstríðan úlf storðar í grasinu” continues in the same tradition; the choirs create a sense of ritualistic feel that imbues a sense of epicness reinforced by the crashing double bass and simplistic guitar riffs and builds an atmospheric mood to the strings.

“Nú er lengstu miskunndir dalreyðar ná hátindi” opens with a trancelike cadence, the stretch of the instrumental music and rhythmic drum beats is nothing short of amazing, “Nauð greyprs élreka” excels the guitar work and blast beats show how the trio can forge powerful and epic atmosphere. The melodic tremolos then take a crucial shift with the drums engaging in a fast-paced tempo, there are some bombastic Viking and folk twists that maintain a majestic aura.

After the five-minute instrumental cut “Ek sneri aftr til golfhǫlkvis fleygra sárelda heiftar” the music builds in strong intensity on the next song “Fyrsta fǫnnin fellr úr hátunnu regns” which is played in the typical Árstíðir Lífsins style which is akin to the German black metal band Helrunar. The sonic arrangement of this song recalls bands like Ygg and Moonsorrow, the tremolo sections are followed by intense blast beats.

The ebb and flow of the riffing in the closing track “Ofsaveðrsgnýr ber auma bústaði” pieces a perfect balance for slow mid-tempo black metal that is backed by majestic passages in the background. The foray of the blasting drums and the tremolo-picked riffs creates some beautiful imagery of cold icy Nordic landscapes, and the changes in the drumming are getting faster. The guitar lines are quite catchy and epic and emotionally delivered mid-way through the song and the feelings of melancholy reach their peak.

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