"Narkissos" CD by Fortid

With their seventh album 'Narkissos,' FORTÍÐ present a masterpiece that will be highly ranked in many end-of-year lists. The Icelandic trio has hardly changed, simply improving on everything they've done before. FORTÍÐ forge melodic riffs made of black, death, thrash, and Heavy Metal into a sharp blade. The Icelanders do not focus on a specific genre, but rather concentrate solely on writing excellent songs. The result is nine catchy and fiery metal anthems on 'Narkissos.' FORTÍÐ already marked the coordinates of their long musical journey with the ambitious 'Völuspá' album trilogy, released from 2003 to 2010. The initial combination of hard black and death metal riffing with a touch of thrash, a penchant for epic melodies, versatile vocals, and a strong dose of Icelandic sound was continuously refined on the acclaimed fourth album 'Pagan Prophecies' (2012) as well as the subsequent full-length release '9' (2015). With the dark sixth album 'World Serpent' (2020), FORTÍÐ set their current course, which led directly to 'Narkissos' through the two-track EP 'Dómur um dauðan hvern' (2022). Despite the reference to the classical myth in the title, FORTÍÐ remains on an Old Norse and pagan course lyrically. Band leader Einar Thorberg Guðmundsson has spun a conceptual thread about a character with the so-called narcissistic personality disorder within a Nordic context, which runs as a common thread through 'Narkissos.' FORTÍÐ deliver a metal album that is in tune with the times, taking both their music and lyrics to a new peak and guaranteed to find their audience.