Iotunn – Kinship (Review)

Iotunn are a progressive metal band from Denmark, and this is their second album.

Now here’s one that’s been greatly anticipated. It’s an absolute travesty that Iotunn’s 2021 debut Access All Worlds didn’t end up on that year’s end of year list. How it didn’t I’ll never know, as it would easily have been in the top 5 or 10. Entirely my mistake, as it’s a fantastic record. All of which is to say that Kinship has a lot of expectation riding on it.

Boasting 68 minutes of new music, let’s see what Iotunn have to offer this time around, shall we?

Kinship has a different, more atmospheric focus than its predecessor, one that immerses the listener in Iotunn’s potent form of progressive metal. Borrowing elements from melodic death metal and progressive rock, and even atmospheric black metal in places, Kinship is an album that mixes aggression, atmosphere, melody, and emotive depth with consummate skill. Layered, intricate, and well-considered, Kinship boasts a wealth of treasures to unearth. It’s a record that has its fair share of hooks and early memorable moments, but really comes into its own over time as its labyrinthine charms worm their way into your waiting and willing brain.

Taken on its own Kinship is a strong record. It’s tough to truly evaluate it against Access All Worlds as I have listened to that record so much more as of the time of writing, but that’s not really too important for two reasons. The first is that after many spins already I’m confident that Kinship is likely as good as its predecessor, albeit in a different way. The second is that it’s not a repeat of past glories; Kinship is an entity entirely its own. I mean, obviously there are similarities, as it’s clearly the same band and hardly a radical departure, but Kinship flows naturally from Access All Worlds, taking that album’s strengths and forging them into new and exciting forms. Kinship is special, and you can tell from the very first note.

These songs shine with a vibrancy that is infectious. It’s a rich, textured album, full of detailing and intelligent composition. The music is imbued with deep feeling, partially due to the always impressive vocals of the singer, and partially due to the affecting instruments as they work in concert to produce something greater than the sum of their parts. Of the vocals; this is the second album this year to feature the phenomenal singing of Jón Aldará, (the other being the brilliant new Hamferð record). 2024 is well and truly spoiling us.

I had high expectations for Iotunn, and they have not disappointed me. This is essential listening, that’s for sure.