black metal
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Öland, an island in Sweden with a rich and often violent history. According to archeological finds, the island had been settled by hunter-gatherers in about 8000 BCE. Scholars have also uncovered viking burial mounds, dating back to about 6000 BCE. The Romans were writing about it. There were iron age ring forts. The history goes on and on. Now, there's also an album about that history, unsurprisingly it's a black metal album.
Isgärde was formed by Somath 2015. This debut album is dedicated to this island and to its solitude. On the other hand, it's an excellent example of the melodic but often brutal approach to black metal we regularly see coming from Scandinavia. With grinding guitars, effectual drums, haunted screams and an array of folk instruments and keyboards Isgärde certainly created something raw and majestic, something with a firm sense of grandeur.
Most songs fit perfectly into the blackened scene of the nineties. I could mention bands like Dimmu Borgir, Graveworm and Emperor to the probably impressive list of influences but I feel like it's more than that. 'Ancient Forest of Witchery', for example, is a strange song, a slow, eerie piece of work that gnaws, claws and grinds. It's also my favorite on this album. If you want something more melodic, you will definitely love 'Dying After Dawn'
If you want gutripping brutality, 'Funeral Fire' will serve your needs. This is a blasting monster of a song and certainly not the only one on 'Jag Enslig Skall Gå' (which, by the way, loosely translates as 'alone I shall go'). So in all, we're dealing with an excellent and varied debut, recorded by a talented musician. Perhaps it would be a good idea to get a full band together and take this show on the road. I for one would love to see this live.
Serge
Isgärde was formed by Somath 2015. This debut album is dedicated to this island and to its solitude. On the other hand, it's an excellent example of the melodic but often brutal approach to black metal we regularly see coming from Scandinavia. With grinding guitars, effectual drums, haunted screams and an array of folk instruments and keyboards Isgärde certainly created something raw and majestic, something with a firm sense of grandeur.
Most songs fit perfectly into the blackened scene of the nineties. I could mention bands like Dimmu Borgir, Graveworm and Emperor to the probably impressive list of influences but I feel like it's more than that. 'Ancient Forest of Witchery', for example, is a strange song, a slow, eerie piece of work that gnaws, claws and grinds. It's also my favorite on this album. If you want something more melodic, you will definitely love 'Dying After Dawn'
If you want gutripping brutality, 'Funeral Fire' will serve your needs. This is a blasting monster of a song and certainly not the only one on 'Jag Enslig Skall Gå' (which, by the way, loosely translates as 'alone I shall go'). So in all, we're dealing with an excellent and varied debut, recorded by a talented musician. Perhaps it would be a good idea to get a full band together and take this show on the road. I for one would love to see this live.
Serge
