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Swedish Jordfäst has released Av stoft ("of dust"), which continues where Hädanefter (2021) left off, and which awaits you in the player below.
With folky melodies and theatrical narratives are woven into a solid backbone of black metal, Jordfäst delves further into the barren realms of Scandinavian hardship and melancholy. Epic and dreaming, Av stoft conjures up wistful soundscapes comparable to genre greats such as Skogen, Saiva, and Primordial.
The two songs, which have a combined playing time of 33 minutes, tell sobering tales of human struggles against societal norms and religious oppression; the fight for the right to determine one's own fate. As tends to be the case in real life, these stories are stripped entirely of both heroes and happy endings. The harsh truths of the natural world are imbued in the album's concept and its musical core - the gloomy layers interspersed with searing melodies reflect reality as unforgiving as the northern winter.
Av stoft was recorded at Studio Wheelmust, with the duo's multi-instrumentalist Elis Edin Markskog at the helm. Mixed and mastered at The Overlook by William Blackmon. The album features a guest vocalist appearance by Joakim Svensson of fellow Nordvis band Skogen. Session drums by Joakim Unger.
Both members of Jordfäst have roots that reach deep beneath the forests of Småland, Sweden. However, their branches reach all the way from the vast Scanian fields to the frost-covered mountains of Tromsø. The duo became part of the Nordvis community after reaching out in late 2020; having followed the label for over fifteen years, they were convinced that Nordvis would be the perfect fit for Jordfäst. After listening to their music and reading the lyrics, label manager Andreas Pettersson agreed.
As with many acts on the Nordvis roster, the forces of nature play a significant role in Jordfäst's thematic content. What sets them apart is the focus on her destructive qualities - particularly how they tend to humble mankind. Another focal point is humanity's tendency to treat one another even worse than we do the natural world. All material is composed and arranged to bring immersion and depth to the tales enacted through the lyrics. This formula makes for a highly versatile and varied work, steeped with the desperate echoes from the grim past of bygone Scandinavia.
The band comments: "With Av stoft we took a more timeless approach by implementing themes which have always been part of humanity's history and shaped our society. Concepts pertaining to life and death; the right of the lone individual to either end or start one or the other as he sees fit, as well as the consequences that might follow. As on Hädanefter, the stories are told from several perspectives and depict everything from personal suffering to the relentless forces of nature - all of which are indifferent to our suffering and just biding their time to sweep us away, once and for all". Link
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