From the heart of
Czechia emerges Isen, a one-man project
led by UlvKult, who handles every
instrument and vocal layer with a clear devotion to the roots of black metal.
Having recorded the drums at the renowned Hellsound
Studio, UlvKult has shaped
an album that pays respect to the old Scandinavian spirit while keeping a
distinct melodic character. “Zaklínání Poslední Zimy” (“Summoning The Last
Winter”) marks Isen’s debut, and it arrives like a cold gust from the
North-icy, sincere, and atmospheric in a way that recalls the purity of the
genre’s early age.
The album’s melodic approach never waters
down its aggression. Guitar lines move like frost across stone, interweaving
fast tremolo passages with slow, melodic turns that open brief glimpses of
sorrow before the storm resumes. The keyboards add a subtle but haunting layer,
never ornamental, instead deepening the sense of desolation. The vocals, raw
and slightly distant, sound like a cry from beyond the treeline, merging with
the instrumental blizzard around them.
Across its runtime, the album maintains a
consistent atmosphere of isolation and reverence for the cold. Each composition
is like part of a long invocation, a summoning of ancient forces that sleep
beneath the ice. There’s something timeless in its simplicity, a return to the
essence of what melodic black metal was meant to be, emotionally stirring,
dark, and beautiful in its restraint.
Isen’s debut will easily appeal to listeners
who appreciate the melodic side of black metal without the modern gloss. It’s
harsh, but not inaccessible, melodic, but never fragile. “Zaklínání Poslední
Zimy” stands as a strong and promising first chapter for UlvKult, under his own cold breath of life.
Score: 7.3
Links:
https://isenbm.bandcamp.com/album/summoning-the-last-winter-zakl-n-n-posledn-zimy
https://www.facebook.com/NorthernSilenceProductions
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdZT_QxNr10-uaQNFuqAKBg
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