Review HENRIK PALM ‘Nerd Icon’

It might be that not many of you are familiar with the name Henrik Palm, but quite a few of you might have heard or seen the guy. Palm was part of Ghost as well as In Solitude and Gösta Berlings Saga. In addition to these renowned bands, Palm also released a couple of solo albums. Many Days was released in 2017, followed by ‘Poverty Metal’. Now it’s time to release the next album and it’s called ‘Nerd Icon’.

Svart Records is known for having artists in their portfolio that don’t fit into any particular genre or box. Henrik Palm’s latest solo album perfectly matches this philosophy. What Palm has recorded are eight songs that stretch the boundaries of rock and metal. It is a wild mix of genres and even the sound of a saxophone is embedded in the elegiac ‘From the Grave’. Slow and with the rhythm of a funeral march, the song is very touching and goes straight to the heart. There is such a deep melancholy in ‘From the Grave’ that even red roses would turn black.

‘Nerd Icon’ is not a sun-drenched album. These songs reflect the cool breeze in the shade; the unknown that tries to hide behind the shadows. That’s why songs like ‘Instrumental Funeral’ cloak everything in a shade of gray.

This album is the opposite of the colorful nature in spring. Everything on thais album is covered in a haze of darkness and unveils a glimpse into the gloomy abyss of the human soul.