вЂњHrafntinnaвЂќ is a metal song in a literal sense, composed of fractured cymbals, sonorous brass, the whinny of horsehair on steel guitar strings over its six minutes, thereвЂ™s a filmic, storytelling quality that shows JГіnsi could and should be doing soundtrack work for movies with more heft than We Bought A Zoo.Д«ut Sigur RГіs always had the frame for heavy metal muscle- letвЂ™s not forget this is a band who makes 10-minute songs with elfin vocals from a guy who wears a fringed jacket and plays his guitar with a cello bow. The feedback shrieks throughout вЂњBrennisteinn' feel elegant and sleek rather than abrasive, like fine cutlery on black marble instead of nails on a chalkboard. Whenever the distorted bass lunges on the title track, it sounds like itвЂ™s trying to drill oil from the ocean floor. From there on out, Sigur RГіs are fully committed to stress testing their sound. Either way, Kveikur is defined by its rhythm section, even as it wisely repositions JГіnsi'sВ inimitable vocals as the focus, back where they belong after being used as mostly texture on Valtari.ДЄfter the ambient bubble bath of Valtari, the deep drum hits within the first minute of вЂњBrennisteinnвЂќ disrupt Sigur RГіsвЂ™ artistic stasis like a cannonball the heavy metal churn takes on a metaphorical and symbolic aspect, as if signifying Sigur RГіsвЂ™ transformation from an inanimate object into a vengeful, destructive Decepticon.

Perhaps itвЂ™s to compensate for the departure of Sveinsson, or maybe bassist Georg Holm and drummerВ Orri PГЎll DГЅrason are just tired of getting 0% of the credit over the past decade and a half. That Kveikur translates to вЂњcandlewickвЂќ and phonetically sounds like вЂњquakeвЂќ is appropriate, as Sigur RГіsвЂ™ seventh album is their most explosive and action-packed. Returning with unexpected speed and unprecedented vitality, Kveikur is the big payback a bracing record of pummeling post-rock, eerie hauntology and concentrated pop splendor,В Sigur RГіs finally acknowledge their impact by beating all of their acolytes at their own game. After the breakup rumors subsided, the band lost keyboardist Kjartan SveinssonВ and signed with a new label. Valtari sounded like a dead end, and it did turn out to be the end of Sigur RГіs as we knew them. But they'd become trapped by their singularity: By 2008вЂ™s gluttonously orchestrated MeГ° suГ° Г eyrum viГ° spilum endalaust, they appeared stuck in an escalating arms race with their past work and on last yearвЂ™s Valtari, Sigur RГіs didnвЂ™t feel like a human entity anymore, just a collection of textural signifiers that confirmed their criticsвЂ™ view of them as credible New Age.

Conversely, with the exception of the Animal Collective-styled вЂњGobbledigook,вЂќ not one Sigur RГіs song has suggested a contemporary outside influence. They serve a touchstone for electronic producers interested in apparitional mystery and their music gets placed in movies when directors are looking for a shortcut to beatific beauty. Sigur RГіsвЂ™ relationship with their peers is about as one-sided as it gets: metal bands namedrop them as proof that they can be pretty, pop acts do the same to show an interest beyond verses and choruses.

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