Sophomore albums are an interesting stage in a band's career. It's not as monumental as the debut record, and not quite as vital as the third, but it's normally a good indication of how a band is evolving. On "Ride The Lightning," for example, Metallica introduced more melody than ever before, and the evolution from "Rocka Rolla" to "Sad Wings Of Destiny" was almost immediate. Danish/Faroese outfit Iotunn released their first album, "Access All Worlds" three years ago, and right away they began receiving plaudits and praise from across the world. So how have they changed since 2021? Well, they certainly want to challenge listeners.

Not everyone is into long songs, even fans of bands who like to take their time, and so putting a nearly fourteen-minute track, the longest on the album, at the very beginning of the album is a strange choice. It begins in quite a mellow fashion and continues going down that route for around two minutes, before the rest of the band comes in, performing something quite reminiscent of Primordial, in that their music also sounds very stormy, like a boat braving the elements. As I alluded to though, it is asking a bit much to sit through such a long number so soon and it doesn't really change enough to warrant the length, especially with the successor, "Mistland" sounding quite similar, if a little more black metal.

There are quite a few black metal passages and sections throughout the record, and on this sophomore effort, Iotunn has moved further away from the progressive power metal sound than ever before. "Twilight" for example taps into this influence, with added operatic vocals that are sometimes heard from groups like Mayhem, while "The Anguished Ethereal" dives deep into the epic black metal sound. As for a personal favourite, I'd go with, "Earth To Sky," which uses chaos when it needs to, but also has a nice intro and a fantastic rhythm, thanks largely to the drums, which shine on this track.

While there is a lot to like here, there are also some problems. The biggest one for me being the aforementioned Primordial comparison. I didn't pay that much attention to it after only one song, but by the time the sixth track ends, I'd lost count of the number of times I thought, "That sounds like Primordial... That sounds like Primordial." There's always been a likeness between the two bands, but on "Access All Worlds," Iotunn have lost a little too much of their older sound and the resemblance to the Skerries band becomes so common that I was annoying myself for noticing it. Add to this the nearly seventy-minute run time, and ultimately, even with plenty of good points, "Kinship" feels like a chore to listen to.

Perhaps no sentence is more useless in a review than, "you'll need to judge it for yourself" but "Kinship" really does come down to personal tastes. Iotunn are superb musicians and their debut was stunning, promising a lot to come, but they'll need to get some of that versatility back when it comes to their next effort. If you want an epic extreme metal album with more than a trace of melody, then this will probably be right up your street. There's more to like than dislike, but if you're looking for something to rock out to, or music with a more direct approach, you might want to look elsewhere.