Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 07:28 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
Genre: Epic Doom Metal
Country: Sweden
Label: Cyclone Empire
Year: 2014
Finding a decent epic doom metal band that can live up to the standards of the genre, as those were set by the Great Old Ones (Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Solstice and Sorcerer among others), can be quite difficult these days. And it takes more than a gown, a several-sizes-bigger-than-thou cross and the same riff played in different ways, one slower than the other. In fact, you need convincing vocal lines, heavy riffs, haunting leads, atmosphere, and all of them put together in order to serve the composition; the songs are all that remain in the end. Unfortunately, many “doom metal” bands these days forget that it’s the songs that make the difference, the songs, and not the aforementioned parts thrown in an album without any order alongside with some pompous and pretentious titles/lyrics/etc. Anyway. Enough with “sociology”. And now, for something completely different; Daniel Bryntse and Crister Olsson have been around for about a decade or more. During that time, they have released ten albums (six as Isole, four under the Ereb Altor moniker – you MUST check the latter out if you find yourself attached to Bathory’s “Asatru” period). Quite busy boys, don’t you think? Right here, we have their latest effort as Isole, entitled “The Calm Hunter”. Let’s start from the outside: I like the album cover a lot. Old photos with (probably) dead family members suit the mood, without any need for further analysis. It’s a good aesthetic choice, if you ask me, and I think it would look good enough in vinyl format size. And here’s the question? Is it worth buying? To be completely honest, I’d lost Isole’s traces after their first two amazing LPs (“Forevermore”, “ Throne of Void”), and whenever I found samples of their later works, even if they were good enough, they couldn’t outmatch their early work. What I’m very fond of in Isole (which they also do as Ereb Altor) is their extraordinary and convincing (Gates of Slumber, just listen please…) vocal lines. Whenever they do those choral vocals, they almost always manage to bring the chills down my spine. It’s obvious that this time they have put a lot of work on their songs, and I guess that “The Calm Hunter” is better than their later albums. The riffs are heavy and dark as fuck, their guitar leads and melodies are penned note by note as a part of a greater and doleful frame, and you may find some truly excellent moments, such as “The Eye of Light” and “Alone in Silence” (my personal favorite). Some brutal vocals here and there, and some blastbeats (check out “Perdition” as one of the album’s shining moments) are more than acceptable, after all I proudly stood amongst the very few supporters (maybe it was just me) of the direction Ereb Altor took in “Gastrike” (I loved those black metal vocals with that Borknagar feeling between the lines), and they surely add to the atmosphere. “The Calm Hunter” won’t be the album of the year. And there are other doom metal albums that I could propose as a more representative choice for your monthly purchases. The album’s value lies elsewhere: and that’s the standard quality Mats and Ragnar serve with a silent, yet devoted way over the years. Without much talking, without much advertising, just with their work, they can surely convince you about their intentions. The album title summarizes their spirit in the best of ways. Silent, yet capable of living up to their standards. Listen to it.
4,5/6
