There is truth in the old saying that there is strength in numbers! Case in point is the brotherhood that has bonded Icelandic black metal bands together in recent history. As many of us know, this country has become a key player in the underground metal scene. Although many of the bands sound different, they all share the bond of creating music that pushes the boundaries of genre. Over the past couple of months, Hafsteinn Viðar of Wormlust has been photographing his peers for this outstanding Icelandic photo feature you are about to see. Way better than my words ever could, these photos will give you an insight into these bands, and how the cold and gorgeous land they inhabit influences them. CVLT Nation would like to thank all of the bands for taking the time to make this feature a reality, and H.V. for so beautifully capturing the prolific underground scene in Iceland. You can visit his Facebook page Verði ljós and his Instagram @verdiljos to see more of his photos.
Abominor
Nyith
Nauð. Ýr. Ís. Þurs.
The stave, inscribed upon the flesh of a horse’s head
in the blood of a seal, a fox and a man.
And the words uttered;
Carpe Noctem
Mannveira
There is nothing to be lost or gained from this collective human experience. We have yet to see that which is permanent; to which the laws of time do not apply. Our longing for a purpose and to discover something beyond our physical realm will certainly be an obstacle in our journey to seize power of our real lives and to fully grasp what is within our reach.
There will be no ecstacy nor salvation, no judgement nor enlightenment. There will only be the brief glimpse of when we are truly alive, and then our inevitable return into nothingness.
“We have in fact only two certainties in this world – that we are not everything and that we will die.”
– Georges Bataille
Svartidauði
Naðra
Nornahetta
0
Sinmara
Misþyrming
Vánagandr
WORMLUST
Look upon the warped mirror, it is held up to the ones that came before. In it we are lost, in an aesthetic dissonance. We stretch our limbs into phantom places and carve meanings into ephemera. A test of limits by inward reflection. Trace up and down along the glass’ surface. The boundary between the spirit and flesh. Inside it is our collection, journals of transmutation. What you see is only the mystic dimensions that lie beyond sanity carved upon the faces of gods. Look upon us.
Golden chain-veil by Habe
