Danish/Faroese progressive metal outfit IOTUNN will release "Waves Over Copenhell" on January 9 via Metal Blade Records. The live album was recorded at the prestigious Copenhell festival in Copenhagen in 2023, one of Scandinavia's premier metal events that annually draws tens of thousands of fans to the Danish capital. The recording captures a special performance under the starry skies with specially designed laser beams cutting through the night, creating a visual spectacle that matched the band's epic musical vision.
The five-track release features performances of "Waves Below," "The Tower of Cosmic Nihility," "Access All Worlds," "Mistland," and "Voyage of the Garganey I" — songs drawn primarily from their acclaimed 2021 debut "Access All Worlds," which established IOTUNN as one of the most exciting new voices in progressive metal. The band's sound draws from the grandeur of bands like ENSLAVED, BORKNAGAR, and OPETH while maintaining a distinct identity rooted in the stark, windswept landscapes of the Faroe Islands that partially inspired their formation.
Mixed by drummer Bjorn Wind Andersen and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark — a facility renowned for its work with acts like VOLBEAT, AMARANTHE, and EVERGREY — the album captures the band's powerful live presence with clarity and depth. Live albums remain a vital format in progressive metal, where the extended compositions and dynamic shifts of studio recordings take on new life in a concert setting. For IOTUNN, "Waves Over Copenhell" serves as both a document of their rapid ascent and a bridge between their debut and an eagerly anticipated sophomore studio effort.