#soundpollution — Public Fediverse posts

Vengeful trickster fairies, a realm of impenetrable cold and boundless frost, a dragon gnawing away at the roots of the World Tree; Norse iconography is intense, and metal bands have known this at least since Led Zeppelin. Sweden’s Fejd, a folk metal group formed in 2001 from the folk duo Rimmerfors and the prog-thrash band Pathos,1 have been weaving Norse history and mythology into their acoustics-forward heavy metal for decades. They were last heard with 2016’s Trolldom, followed by a decade of inactivity as far as new music is concerned. But now, drummer Esko Sallow, keyboardist Lennart Specht, bassist Thomas Antonsson, vocalist/moraharpa player Niklas Rimmerfors, and multi-instrumentalist Patrik Rimmerfors2 have taken the Fejd banner to Nifelheim, the Norse realm of ice and an album steeped in mist-wrapped mystery. Fejd sing in Swedish and, being a Swiss-cheese-brained American, I can’t tell you if they capture their “Nordic melancholy” in lyricism. But can they musically?

“Folk metal” encompasses a lot of different sounds; the way Fejd do it, Nifelheim is folk, folk metal. Fejd’s approach immediately reminded me of The Hu’s early material, where amidst the great score of acoustic instrumentation, keyboards, and drums, not one distorted guitar appears. This is no issue. The lively, drone-noted strumming on “Edsvuren” and “Sköldborg”‘s Amon Amarthesque fighting riffs prove Fejd can bring the goods without them. Nifelheim’s acoustic soundscape—beautifully captured in a warm and dynamic mastering job—smells of sea salt on “Älvagrimmar” with its wind-swept majesty and “Strilja”‘s medieval jauntiness and Sgàile-like grandeur. On first listen, I was quickly and easily engrossed. Nifelheim doesn’t actually sound Nordic—like most Viking-y folk music these days, Fejd mostly play a hodgepodge of Asian and Eastern European instruments—but it nonetheless sounds like a dip into the primordial world.

Fejd use a lot of instruments on Nifelheim, and brother, you better believe they’re using them all in the same song. “Nidhögg” navigates between mouth harp,3 a plethora of strings, synthesizers, and group vocals while the title track opens to a cavalcade of drums, horns, and synchronized string riffs to bombastic effect. Nifelheim is just about always like this. But what’s crazy is that Nifelheim never sounds overly crowded. This owes partly to its aforementioned mix but also Fejd’s delicate songcraft, which sees pieces sliding in and out of the music in seamless, natural transitions. But what’s similarly baffling is that, though Fejd weave such big compositions together, Nifelheim still sounds kinda thin. This is in part due to a lack of low end, which is mostly handled by Salow kicking the dookie out of his drums, because Antonsson’s bass basically stands in the back of the mix sipping a beer mead. Regardless, in tying Nifelheim’s anachronistic musical identity together into a cohesive package, it’s safe to say these Swedes left no “Ø” uncrossed or “Ä” undotted.

But with how spirited Fejd’s musical identity is and how rich Nifelheim’s compositions can be, it’s a bit surprising how much steam the record loses by the end. Nifelheim keeps to a mid-pace throughout its runtime, and though Fejd can play briskly—Salow really lets loose on the kit when he wants to (“Edsvuren”)—the music nonetheless feels stuck in one speed. Similarly, I’d describe Rimmerfors’ vocals as workmanlike on Nifelheim, serving the music well but being too constrained to stand out or elevate it. Factored together, these two problems conspire to give Nifelheim a feeling of déjà vu. When closer “Svarta Tjärn” rolls out its big conclusion in hopes of a true Viking funeral, a track worthy of one in a vacuum, over-familiarity dims its flame to a serviceable campfire instead. Nifelheim is smooth sailing, but perhaps the trip would’ve been more memorable had Fejd challenged some choppier waters.

Nifelheim is a fun and expertly crafted album the whole way through, but a lack of exciting highs keeps me from giving a full-chested recommendation of it. Fans of folk metal will likely enjoy what Fejd offer on it, and genre diehards are likely to rate it more highly than I. I hear all the essence of a great album in Nifelheim, from Fejd’s expert chemistry to the record’s effortless fluidity. But I also hear the potential for something to really blow the roof off with Nifelheim gone unrealized. A few stronger hooks or up-tempo moments would’ve really gone a long way. But regardless, Nifelheim is a sound warship for Fejd to get back on the warpath with, and more than worthy of your consideration for listening. Skol!

Rating: Good
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Black Lodge | Sound Pollution
Websites: fejd.se | facebook.com/Fejdofficial
Releases Worldwide: August 21st, 2026

Human activity is making the Arctic’s waters louder
#Arctic #IndigenousPeoples #Nunavut #Canada #Science #ArcticOcean #ClimateChange #OceanNoise #Environment #UnderwaterNoise #Biodiversity #OceanMonitoring #Iqaluktuuttiaq #CambridgeBay #SoundPollution
https://the-14.com/human-activity-is-making-the-arctics-waters-louder/

@Shanmonster

Thank you, Shantell!

You and I are some of the few people who are sensitive to these things, it appears.

https://paper.wf/penumbrage/clean-green-serene-vibe

The Environmental Protection Agency needs to step in and regulate sound, light, and air pollution in a big way.

Let's keep bringing up this issue, and communicating the main points to get people to feel this concern and join in.

#Earth #Nature #EPA #Environment #SoundPollution #AnthropogenicNoise #LightPollution #AirPollution #Peace

In other news... WTF!

Dangerous Low Flying Jets Target More #Tohono #Oodham, #Apache and #Yaqui Communities

via #CensoredNews, Oct 5, 2024

Wild Earth Guardians:

"The Threat: The U.S. Air Force is proposing low-level fighter jet maneuvers and supersonic flights over White Mountains, Organ Pipe Cactus National Park, and more. It will affect the Tohono O’odham Nation, #WhiteMountain and #SanCarlosApache Nations, and #PascuaYaqui Tribe.

Wilderness and Sacred Places at Risk

The Wilderness areas at risk include the Gila and Blue Range Wildernesses in New Mexico, plus the following Wildernesses in Arizona: Superstition, Salt River Canyon, White Canyon, Needles Eye, Aravaipa Canyon, Galiuro, Santa Teresa, Fishhooks, Bear Wallow, Escudilla, Mount Baldy, Chiracahua, Arrastra Mountains, Tres Alamos, Rawhide Mountains, Harcuvar Mountains, Swansea, East Cactus Plain, Harquahala Mountains, Aubrey Peak, Upper Burro Creek, Hummingbird Springs, Organ Pipe Cactus, Cabeza Prieta, Coyote Mountains, Big Horn Mountains, Baboquivari Peak, and Pajarita Wildernesses. In addition to these 30 designated Wildernesses, this proposal also threatens the Blue Range Primitive Area as well as many Wilderness Study Areas.

Eighteen of these Wildernesses were designated by the 1990 Arizona Desert Wilderness Act, which unfortunately contained a bad special provision that allows military overflights. But that doesn’t mean the proposed action won’t damage those Wildernesses, nor does that 1990 law give the Air Force a free pass to damage the other Wildernesses.

"The Air Force wants to make changes to 10 #MilitaryOperationAreas (#MOAs) to enhance its airspace training capabilities. Specifically, the Air Force wants to lower the altitudes of existing MOAs to support low-altitude training (in some cases, as low as 500 feet above the ground, and in one case, The U.S. Air Force has released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that proposes a massive increase in low-level jet training flights in more than 1.2 million acres of designated Wilderness in Arizona and New Mexico. Such activity would shatter the area’s natural sounds, ruin the wilderness experience for visitors, and stress native wildlife.

"Your help is needed by October 9 to tell the Air Force to keep low-altitude jets, sonic booms, and supersonic flights out of these Wildernesses (link below).

"The Air Force also wants to authorize supersonic training at lower altitudes in more MOAs, lower the minimum release altitude for flares, and authorize use of chaff bundles containing up to 5 million #aluminum-coated silica fibers, which are used to obscure radar, and are designed to stay airborne as long as possible before they settle to the ground."

Source:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/10/dangerous-low-flying-jets-target-more.html

Link to Submit Public Comments (#Arizona):
https://www.arizonaregionalairspaceeis.com/comments/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=3ae8a8ee-8716-4497-b5d2-cb08a9bd0157

#ProtectTheWilderness #DefendTheSacred #USAirForce #SoundPollution #AluminumPollution

Petroleum-powered leaf blowers should be illegal. #AirPollution #SoundPollution

My area is saturated 24/7 w noise of racing motorcycles, cars modified to be noisier - local, state gov't will do nothing. Can #noisecameras #reduce ‘potentially fatal’ #soundpollution? Every1 knows NYC is loud & politicians have waged long losing war against noise. Now they have new weapon: noise cameras. Cameras which are paired with a #soundmeter to detect noise of at least 85 #decibels from source 50ft. #heathcare #pedestrians #environment #airpollution #streetracing https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/04/new-york-noise-cameras

Was in a grocery store recently and noticed myself feeling far more calm and relaxed than usually associated with shopping in said store.

Then they turned the music back on.

Reminded of this today when in a Target where the music was off. Staff were joking and teasing their manager about the sound system not working. ("Oh, no music! This is my jam!")

There was a steady hum from the speakers that would normally be pumping out pop tunes. The hum was, frankly, preferable.

#SoundPollution #noise

Going to petition the city transportation dept to try and curb dangerous speeding near residential areas. Any advice on what methods would work?

Ideally speeding cameras, but without automated enforcement which my city doesn't seem to do that is probably toothless. Speed bumps near intersections?

#cityplanning
#pedestrian
#safety
#soundpollution
#trafficcalming

Madras HC Issues Conditions For Using Sound Equipments During Local Festival
Read Order: https://bit.ly/2OJIboZ
#MadrasHC #SoundPollution