VIRB

Brainwashed
Dedicated to "individuals who burn the flags of nations," Gjöll's debut is a concept album in five parts about a character's anger arising from the state of today's materialist society, blaming its oppressive politicians and advertisers alike. Dark and brooding, the album is heavy on atmosphere that's perforated by bleak lyrics.

"Part I" is a deep drone surrounded by a few rhythmic elements and an occasional high-pitched tone while appropriately despondent lyrics are spoken in the group's native Icelandic, some of which roughly translate as "Will my voice be worth anything/When there is nowhere an abyss to be seen?" Except for a change at the end, the music is relatively static and made me anxious for something to happen.

Something does happen in "Part II," which introduces a heavy beat that bounces between channels throughout the track as the character's anger builds into scratchy vocals delivered like paranoid propaganda. It's an enjoyable rhythm with unique timbre, although occasional alterations to the beat would have extended its vitality. A swirling maelstrom erupts on "Part III" as the anger transforms into bitter rage. The vocals are buried under harsh distortion, now and then puncturing the dark clouds as the tornado swells and rumbles, culminating in an effectively grueling howl. "Part IV" isn't as loud, but it's just as creepy. A low drone swims in the background under cascading high frequencies while the narrator whispers his revelations from an inner spiritual journey in a chilling manner, aided in part by the low volume of his voice and the deliberateness of his enunciation. "Part V" is a somewhat schizophrenic instrumental, running with the storm of "Part III" for over ten minutes before ceding to a magical, starry nightscape that erases much of the negativity that precedes it.

In accordance with the theme, the group includes a lot of rune imagery in the accompanying booklet but insist that it's only a reminder that creations in the digital age are temporary when compared to those from previous ages, and not as some romantic notion of life in Viking times. Although it gets off to a sluggish start and some songs suffer from a lack of dynamics, this album still has a lot of powerful dark energy worth many repeated listens.

vital weekly
extreme music seems like a flowering part of the culture in the northern parts of scandinavia. norway was in the forefront of the early black metal, just like sweden was pioneering the death metal-scene from the late eighties forward. also in the territories of harsh electronic music, scandinavia has been well going, thanks to the swedish industrial legendary label cold meat industry. icelandic project gjöll (featuring members from different grindcorebands such as forgardur helvitis) demonstrates with this debut release out on ant zen recordings that the island from the very north of scandinavia also knows how to push the boundaries of the musical sound. the album titled "way through zero" is a conceptual work that focuses on the dark sides of human nature. what we are dealing with here is the sound of one man's mental state developing from depression to aggression until, the force of self-awareness tries to defeat the man's soul of darkness. the musical expression of the album describes this mental development in a quite impressive way. "way though zero" are divided into five parts. all parts are untitled since they more likely describe the different steps of mental development. first part opens with deep rumbling low frequency drones first of all reminiscent of coil's explorations into harsh electronics on the album "constant shallowness leads to evil", and the warning printed on the "constant shallowness...."-disc saying "may cause drowsiness - do not play while driving or operating machinery" could well be used on this 7-minutes opening track. second track works more energetic with ritually mid-tempo rhythm textures and freezing sounds like the outbursts of an electronic processed didgeridoo. the feeling of something waiting to explode lies underneath the surface of this second track. and things certainly happens as third part of the album takes over. symbolising the shift from subdued depression to driving aggression, pure hatred comes to expression and hell breaks loose as harsh waves of evil drones penetrates. on the first two tracks the voice of a man getting more and more frustrated lied somewhere in the sonic expression. on this third track the voice changes from angry to furious as the voice are sucked into aural machinery reminiscent of swedish power electronics-maestro brighter death now. after this exercise in sonic extremity fourth track sneaks slowly up. subtle, almost inaudible drones of isolation symbolises the mental state of pensiveness. a whispering voice assists to build the feeling of tranquillity. fifth and final track, with its 19 minutes being the longest track, returns back to the more dramatic expression with buzzing noise drones bouncing back and forth in approx. 12 minutes until atmospheric ambient sounds of suppression brilliantly describes the man's desperate attempt to break the circle of viciousness. whether he succeeds to break loose is questionable, since the ambience nicely balances between a feeling of relief and endless depression. judged by the sonic expression the ending of the story is open for the listener to interpret. never the less this is an excellent thematic exploration into the dark sides of human souls. a quite unusual album in the ant zen-sphere, because of its sonic introspective character. highly recommended! (nmp)

Gothtronic
gjoll is an industrial project from iceland founded by reptilicus member johann eiriksson. gjoll can be translated as noisy, clamant, thunderous and raging and is also a river in the norse mythology comparable to the river styx. the cd tells a story of a man's anger evolving. the story is told in 5 parts .each of the parts is showing a mental state of a man who feels oppressed by today's western consumer society. the first part is a deep droning and slow track with a pulsing bass in which the person feels pessimistic and powerless, and has therefore a strong dark atmosphere that it will keep you tight to your chair. the second part shows his rising anger towards the powers that oppress him. this track has a deep rhythm which is almost tribal and comas violently from your speakers. the lyrics here are brought in anger. part three is a violent track with distorted vocals and a metallic drone. it shows the pure hatred that absorbs his soul and drives him into madness. in part four a process of analysing and rethinking takes place: he realizes that the only way to fight his oppressors is to change one's perception. this is an ambient track with high frequency sounds which painfully penetrates your ear within an almost peaceful atmosphere. part five is a 17 minutes long waving track that sounds very stately. way through zero is a strong cd with pulsing sub basses, synth layers, driving rhythmic sequences, noisy drones, high frequency sonic attacks and silent melodic phrases. the sound is really deep and very warm this makes it very comfortable listening to although it can be quite extreme sometimes. all this makes this album worthwhile listening to. gjoll dedicates this album to those people who burn the flags of nations. the message is: "think for your self and choose for yourself". well, now it is up to you if you like this album or not. i only can say if you appreciate "lithiumpath" by skin area you absolutely try this cd. (remco)

Terrorizer #143
comprising of drone, spares electronics and harsh vocals this icelandic duo cut a bizarre path through the duration of 'way through zero' it is both calming and intensely angry at the same time. the anger comes from sigurour haroarson (of gringcore band forgarour helvitis) whose impassioned cries in his native tongue conflict and compliment the varying electronic ebbs and flows of johann eirkissons' drone creations. not to be taken lightly.

igloo
gjöll's way through zero is a revolutionary document -- an aural manifesto that seeks to focus man's restlessness and emasculated anger into a perceptive coup d'etat of the mind. gjöll, the duo of jóhann eiríksson and sigurður harðarson, have built a conceptual record, setting the foundation in the noisy norse mythos where gjöll is the river at the edge of the underworld. it is the source of discontent which courses through the mind of man. the five parts of way through zero follow the course of rage and disenchantment that flows through the hearts and minds of dispossessed men, building from sporadic ambience to chaotic rage to a climatic realization of internal power. "part 1" of the monologue begins with the mutterings of a lost soul, a man cast adrift on the river that run through the abyss. tones warp and wave in the background and a piece of gutted machinery keeps constant company with the lost traveler as he is drawn through an empty landscape. "part 2" erupts with a hollow-core symphony -- wind whistling through metal tubes and ducts -- as a mechanized drummer pounds the rhythm of our heartbeat. the voice becomes more strident as adrenaline-fuelled discontent gives him voice. we are through hiding in the sand, through turning the other cheek as we are beaten daily by our oppressors. we are not cogs or numbers or identity-less nodes on a vast network. we are voices, we are spirits with our own light. we feel, we react. we fight back. "each and every one / of your institutions / is the length of my shadow / and each shadow corrosive / teaching me hate / on sunny days." a moaning howl of noise cascades through "part 3," the volcanic eruption of fury and resentment. too long has the discontent been held captive by the institution, by his oppressors. spikes of noise erupt through the waves of sound, a coruscating energy of destructive fury. "if there is a hell / you have created it." while not a full-bore winterkäalte assault, "part 3" finds its pitch in claustrophobic fury. this is the man broken, vitriol spilling out of his cracked frame. but gjöll's journey isn't a "burn it all down" anarchistic screed; rather, it is an examination of the mental breakthrough that occurs at this point of self-immolation. in the vacuum following "part 3," tiny sine wave tones sing with a whispered voice in a questioning duet. who gave the oppressors their power, their strength? "there is no power / unless you recognize it / no threat / unless you admit it / no peace / but the one you create." and, with such realization, the wave returns for "part 5," but it a course of energy that is focused and directed. it is the movement of self-actualized power and lacks the frantic energy underlying it in "part 3." finally, the wave is subsumed beneath an ambient field of twinkling notes, the infinite canopy of stars that are available to us when we throw off the self-made yokes of our oppression. "i am an oasis / in the desert / that is myself." way through zero is a self-help tape, really. a cleansing journey from hopelessness and helplessness to the vast freedom of internalized godhead. we leave the abyss behind us when we break through the final veil. we see only the stars when we are free and we hear only their song. break on through to the other side, my friends. let gjöll lead you there. (mark teppo)