IOTUNN - Waves Over Copenhell

The setlist draws heavily from Access All Worlds and Kinship, and the material benefits from the live environment. These songs are built as movements, and the open air setting amplifies their sense of space. The opening “Waves Below” unfolds patiently, its ambient prelude giving way to massive, deliberate riffing that sets the tone for the record’s balance between restraint and force.

Jón Aldará’s performance anchors the album. His ability to shift between commanding clean’s and abrasive growls is deployed for contrast and structure. The vocals guide the listener through each piece, functioning as narrative markers. Around him, the band’s musicianship remains disciplined. The Gräs brothers’ guitar work alternates between melodic clarity and crushing weight, while the rhythm section maintains momentum without flattening the dynamics.

Tracks “Mistland” and “Access All Worlds” gain additional gravity live, their themes of rupture, transcendence, and cosmic insignificance reinforced by sheer volume and scale. The production, mixed with restraint and mastered by Jacob Hansen, preserves a raw, physical sound while keeping each instrument intelligible.

Waves Over Copenhell wholeheartedly understands the purpose of a live album. It presents IOTUNN as they are - expansive, exacting, and unwilling to reduce their music to digestible forms. This release confirms the band’s position as a serious force in modern progressive metal, not through hype, but through complete execution.

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SCORE 9/10

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Words by LearnTwoExist 

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In collaboration with Headbangers Australia

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