Isvind ‘Daumyra’

Hailing from Oslo the birth place of Black Metal, Isvind formed at the time when Black Metal was going to come very much to the attention of the world (sadly not for the music it was producing). Isvind are a band very much about the traditions of those days, musically that is. After a lengthy split they returned with the album ‘Inent Lever’ & now they are back with their latest release ‘Daumyra’.

The moment the intro starts fans of the genre will know what they are in for. Fast, unrelenting traditional Black Metal & the moment Kast Loss kicks off, you know that is exactly what your in for. Burn the Kings then follows up very much where Kast Loss left off, however a bolt then hits you, an extremely melodic chorus. Still aggressive but the riff has a definite hook to it & you will remember it long after the song has finished. Right, are we over the shock of that?!

Bloodstorm then follows containing a solid groove & brings some variation from the opening 2 tracks. The Dark Traverse & Djevelens Lende then comes kicking & screaming out of the speakers. Fast, traditional, aggressive with subtle melody creeping in here & there much like early Immortal.

Myra for me was the standout track of the album, Isvind really capture the devastating groove Black Metal can produce. This for me is when they hit their stride, slightly stepping away from the relentless tremolo picking & blast beats, as they show again on the next track Specculum. While this song is aggressive & fast like much of the album, the change of tempo & groove gives this song a real impact. With the closing track Klabautermann it very nicely ties the album up, leaving you at the end of the album exhausted. The way a Black metal album should make you feel when it comes to its end.

While Isvind & their album is very much about staying true to what Black Metal was originally about in terms of style. Sometimes evolution can very much create something darker, heavier & nastier for example Mayhem’s album ‘Chimera’. While this album does not break any new ground it is an extremely solid effort, which traditionalists of Black Metal are going love.

Isvind ‘Daumyra’ is out now.

7/10