Gelkhammar – The Sword of Gelfiser LP

GELKHAMMAR is back after their 2018 EP named "Cossyra" (referring to one of the many ancient names of the island), the first Cossyra Tapes output. "The Sword of Gelfiser" refers to an archeological find discovered inside the cave of Gelfiser (from the Arabic word "Jebel Fizàr", meaning "cracked mountain"), near the island's mountain Montagna Grande. The artifact dates back to 1270 and it allegedly belonged to a French knight who arrived in Pantelleria during the Ninth Crusade. The album is an exploration of many landmarks of Pantelleria: "Daughter of the Wind" is the meaning of the name of the island in Arabic ("Bint al-Riyāh"), "Marsa" is the name of a coastal road, "Gibbuna's Graves" is about a Byzantine grave site dating back to the 6th century and "Sibà" refers to Pantelleria's mountain village. On the musical side, "The Sword of Gelfiser" is more intelligible compared to the raw sound of the first EP, riffs are clearer, and there's a balance between the hypnotic repetition, melodic passages, and pummeling blastbeats. There are also improvised sections, enhancing the feeling of exploring and getting lost inside Pantelleria's mysterious landscapes.