20 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Albums Of 2018 (So Far)

The depressive overtones are only amplified as we segue from The Atlas Moth to the even more emotive sorrow of Hamferð.

Probably the best-known metal band to hail from the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, Hamferð wear both their nationality and their doomy outlook loudly and proudly: their name, according to that bastion of heavy music knowledge Encyclopedia Metallum, is “a Faroese word that describes the epiphany of dead/missing seamen.”

In this vein, their sophomore album, Támsins likam, is aptly nautical, despondent and sung entirely in Faroese. As a result of these traits, the 46 unsettling musical minutes contained within not only carry the seafaring grief of a boat ride across the River Styx, but also have a true aura of mystery surrounding them, with Jón Aldará’s lyrics and delivery sounding fittingly uncanny.

With only six tracks to its name, Támsins likam is a patient disc, punctuating its sheer sadness with slow, lengthy movements that let the listener, even in the comfort of their own home, feel the same lament and regret that the band clearly does.

For those looking to expand their horizons both culturally and aurally, you really can’t get much better than this.