Museum Musica

Norway, 2016, dark folk / Nordic folk / folk metal

Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik’s Skuggsjá – Skuggsjá: A Piece for Mind & Mirror: This album is evocative and atmospheric (though perhaps not as deeply) like the Wardruna project, but it has heavier proper rock elements as well as a hint of black metal vocals on some of the tracks. The strength of this album is its collaboration. Even the sparse female vocals at the beginning give it a nice touch before disappearing forever beneath the strength of all-male choruses. The horns are at once droning and anthemic, a feat I suppose wouldn’t be easy to achieve.