Hamferð – Men Guðs Hond er Sterk (Review)

This is the third album from death/doom band Hamferð, who are from the Faroe Islands.

2018’s Támsins Likam is a tough album to follow. A long six years later, can Hamferð’s newest release – the 44-minute Men Guðs Hond er Sterk – match up to just how good its predecessor is?

Before listening to the music at all, a couple of things stand out. The first is the colourful album cover, which takes a very different route to Támsins Likam. The second is that although this album has eight tracks and the previous record had six, the total duration is almost identical, meaning that the songs on Men Guðs Hond er Sterk are shorter overall. What implications does this have for how Hamferð sound in 2024?

I realise that I’ve now ended two paragraphs with questions, so we’d better turn to the music of Men Guðs Hond er Sterk.

Hamferð play their doom metal with a focus on emotional resonance, and like its predecessor Men Guðs Hond er Sterk drips with the stuff. Whether this is depicting a slow-moving crushing doom glacier, evoking the rich atmospheric depth of a textured shoreline, or showcasing the absolutely amazing clean vocals of their talented singer, (also from Barren Earth/Iotunn), this is a record that is deeply imbued with feeling. Even at its heaviest, it feels intimate and unforced, like a colossal natural process has been initiated, yet one that’s happening for the listener alone.

The album benefits from a warm, organic, earthy production that fits the music to a tee. It enhances the emotional impact of the music, letting it breathe, and provides a remarkably welcoming and approachable access point for the formidable embrace of the intimate-yet-crushing songs.

As for the singer, as mentioned above, his voice is just magnificent. I’m primarily talking about his monumental clean singing, but his deep growls are just as potent in their own right, and very satisfyingly delivered too. Of course, the rest of the band aren’t exactly lacking in skill or talent, and the music as a whole is extremely capable. Well-written, creating doom soundscapes that positively demand that you take the time to explore them at length, the songs may be briefer than the last album, but they’re no less powerful. The fat, not that there was much, has been trimmed away, leaving lean songs that are packed with nutrient-dense tastiness.

The detailed songs are resplendent with sorrow, weaving an immersive narrative of loss and misery, but one tinged with hope and light. Hamferð have woven a musical tale that’s hauntingly affecting, managing to bring together the perfect set of doomy ingredients to create their near-masterpiece. Why near-masterpiece? Simply because of the final title track. It may be narratively important, but musically it’s basically an extended outro, and features a spoken word sample, which I’m never a fan of. If you ignore this misstep though, then the rest of the album certainly is a masterpiece.

Does Men Guðs Hond er Sterk match up to Támsins Likam? Definitely, (final track notwithstanding). It more than does it justice, and is a worthy successor. It sounds like a cop-out, but I can’t properly answer the question of which is the better of the two, as I obviously still know Támsins Likam much better at this point. What I will say is that Men Guðs Hond er Sterk already has the potential to usurp Támsins Likam in my mind, which is no mean feat. Only time will tell, and I look forward to the journey of finding out.

Very few records that exist in this genre are a strong as Hamferð’s music, and Men Guðs Hond er Sterk simply reinforces Hamferð’s mastery of the style.

Essential listening.