Skálmöld is probably the only Icelandic band I have ever listened to; with that being said they make a really good first impression on behalf of there country. Genre wise, I personally think they walk the line between a folk and viking metal band. This album was originally released back in 2010 and it made such an impression, that Napalm Records picked these guys up. Thankfully the reissue gave us a little extra content which was an added bonus.They have a very original sound which I think stems from the vocals but in the same vein everything is brought together so well because they don't make the sophomore folk metal band mistake and rape you with the keyboards. The riffing is quite technical and there drumming has a nice bombastic feel to it which flows quite nicely with there tempos.
Skálmöld wouldn't be the first folk metal band to open with a simply sung song in there native tongue; in any case it really settled me into the Icelandic vocals. Europe has no doubt become the epicenter of folk metal and that makes an album such as this, a breath of fresh air. My highlights for this album are "Kvaðning" and "Baldur". A concise review of these two alone would be quite simply the flow, melody and vocals are spot on. I hope the follow up to this the band will take more of a focus on crafting more diverse melodies but my complaints are minor the whole album has really great flow and pacing. I give this one an 8/10 and am excited to to hear more from them.
