What I have here is a promotional digital version of the new two-track demo from Isenordal, which is only being released in physical form on cassette! I am seeing more and more of these coming through, who ever thought that tapes would make a comeback? Although the band are known for performing dark funeral doom, they also have a reputation in neo folk, and these two songs are from that side of their canon. They take the tradition and instrumentation of folk and then combine it with the darkness of black and doom metal, structured and performed with the precision of chamber music.
It is certainly an interesting release, as the combination of the genres with both acoustic and stringed instruments provides a totally different take on the musical styles. The vocals are often mainstream, but there are black metal influences as times, which can be somewhat unsettling in the context, but overall this is a really enjoyable and valid release. They plan to release both metal and folk recordings in the future, and I do hope that I get to hear a full album of material being treated in this manner as it is fascinating. There is a naivety and innocence in some of this that belies what is going on. Why not give them a listen and see what you think?
