In The Black Midwinter: Auðn Album Release Show On Saturday

Feeling down in the perpetual Icelandic darkness? It’s time to get your black metal fix. To celebrate the release of their second album, Icelandic black metal band Auðn have a release show this Saturday at Iðnó, one of the oldest theatres in Reykjavík.

Auðn have gained fans worldwide since their debut album in 2014, and they released their second album ‘Farvegir Fyrndar’ with French label Season of Mist in November last year. The harsh landscapes in winter can be bleak, and the band express their emotions through some emotional, melancholy and powerful music.

“The lyrical theme on the album revolves around depression,” says guitarist Aðalsteinn. “‘Farvegir Fyrndar’ is an old Icelandic saying. It means ‘where rivers used to run’, or ‘how things used to be. People are feeling the same things we were feeling when we wrote the music. It all comes together in this sense of hopelessness.”

The band wrote the songs in their rehearsal space in Hveragerði, a town 30 minutes away from Reykjavík. Later they recorded the album with producer Birgir Jón Birgisson in the Sundlaugin studio. The album has received positive reviews in the music media, and it’ll be magical to experience the album live.

Auðn will also perform at the Eurosonic music industry festival in the Netherlands later this month, as well as Reykjavík-based festival Oration MMXVIII in March. Catch their release show on January 13th at Iðnó, Vonarstræti 3, Reykjavík. Tickets are available via Tix.is.

Read our in-depth feature on Icelandic black metal here.