There are plenty of ideas throughout the wide realm of music that will always have my attention right from the get-go, but none other is greater than that of anything that has heavy pagan influence with folk instruments that pay tribute to ancient Nordic-esque music. It is nigh on intoxicating when it’s done even half-right, and when it’s mastered it is something that constantly sends chills down the spine like no other form of music can bring forth. Osi and the Jupiter was a name that I heard but foolishly forgot about until today, and it’s with this record that I’m enchanted like never before.

Usually, when stuff like this comes across my radar, I immediately think that it’s some more black metal that either just has pagan themes to it or something like along the lines of Wormwood that actually implement folk instruments within the black metal that tends to be far more interesting for someone like me. Yet, Osi and the Jupiter is far from anything like those two here as the whole of “Nordlige Rúnaskog” is steeped in some of the most grandiose, tranquil, and awe-inspiring neofolk that I’ve ever seen in my life, and just the first few tracks alone should be enough to show you just how talented this act is. There isn’t one single moment throughout the whole of this hypnotic record that it doesn’t feel as though you’re wandering the magical woods of Nordic forests in the rain, in the snow, and at night where all manners of creatures spring out to make the grand but humble journey of “Nordlige Rúnaskog” all the more enthralling. Osi and the Jupiter perfectly capture the spirit of nature itself for this album in such a way that it captures the mind right from the beginning with its gorgeous instrumentation, and no part of the album lets up in quality or substance as it’s unbelievably captivating in such a way that I can’t help but feel this is the peak of anything neofolk that I’ve come to immerse myself in. It’s beautiful with a true soul to it, stunning in such a way that only ancient woods can compare, and mystifying in such a way that no other album of this kind has ever done on such a scale for me before. In no small way, the mastermind behind Osi and the Jupiter should be extremely proud of what he’s brought forth for this album as it’s something like we’ve seen before but on a completely different level, and it’s nigh on delicious to fall back into time and again.

This is very much a magical work that should be experienced by anyone who wishes to listen to something that the very spirits of the forest would feel at home when listening to, and Osi and the Jupiter could not have done a better job at astounding here. “Nordlige Rúnaskog” is a truly wondrous work from front to back that is something to be experienced, and I can’t stress enough how much I will be crawling back to this work for years from now.

LISTEN to “Nordlige Rúnaskog” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Osi and the Jupiter on Facebook here.