Isenordal revealed the first single Epiphanies of Abhorrence and Futility taken from the US funeral doom innovators’ forthcoming new album, Requiem for Eirênê. The new album is scheduled for release on March 8th, 2024, via Prophecy Productions. Billy Anderson mixed the songs at Engine-Ear. Justin Weis dealt with the mastering at TRAKWORX. Guido Mauas created the cover painting. Also, Rotten Fantom created the sketch art. The concept and story belongs to Brian Spenser, while Gordon Greenwood was in charge for the design layout.
Isenordal comment: “Our first single Epiphanies of Abhorrence and Futility is centered on the moment of recognition of one’s own failure and loss”, guitarist Gordon Greenwood explains on behalf of the band. “The teaser video is a brief excerpt of the full piece, and marks the initial burst of vigor that comes with fresh awareness. Even the most painful realization can inspire new life.”
Isenordal are different. Not fitting easily into the given stylistic drawers can often turn out to be both a blessing and a curse for a metal band. The six-piece from Seattle, WA in the United States is particularly hard to pin down. If push comes to shove, they could be described as a funeral doom act. This hardly does their musical range justice. There are also notable influences of black metal, especially the harsh vocals but also the occasional vicious outbreaks of blizzard-riffs. Then again, the metal elements are diligently balanced by beautiful acoustic passages of American neofolk.
On their third full-length, Requiem for Eirênê, Isenordal have driven the interplay and cohesion of their musical core elements to a new level. The epic, meandering, and multi-faceted songs on this album each tell a dramatic story. Led by various types of vocals, both female and male, that flow organically into each other, a wide array of instruments paints highly dynamic and lush sonic pictures.
Although the Americans wander musically more often on the dark side, there are also brighter moments woven into the fabric of Requiem for Eirênê. This is also reflected in the lyrics. Each song reveals a chapter of an overarching conceptual story that spans the whole of the album. The tale was conceived by drummer Brian Spenser and reflects personal experience that has been transformed into a profound mythological world, which is musically illustrated by Isenordal. In its course, the band is drawing from ancient myth, occultism, astrology, and the tarot among other symbolic systems to express a spiritual journey involving love, loss, grief in all its stages, hope, disappointment, exploitation, spiritual revelation, surrender, and finally, apotheosis.
When Isenordal formed in 2013, the band grew out of their local hardcore, punk, and metal scene. This left-leaning origin is something that the band shares with US acts such as Agalloch or Wolves In The Throne Room and is different from the background of most of the European black metal scene for example. Musically, the Americans took inspiration from black and doom metal but also other elements from the start.
On the first demo Imbolc MMXIV released on tape in 2015 female vocals were noticeably absent and the first line-up changed in 2016. In 2017, the debut album Shores of Mourning came out with music that had been in development for years and rearranged to feature the new set-up with both male and female vocals. This was followed by another limited cassette demo entitled Lughnasadh MMXVII (2017) as the band went on tour the same year.
On the following sophomore full-length Spectral Embrace, Isenordal went full in to experiment with neofolk. Consequently, electric instruments were left out in the making of this record. Their next sign of life was a split single with Void Omnia in 2019. This split grew out of a friendship between the bands while touring together. Isenordal‘s contribution consisted of one massive track of over 15 minutes in length. When looking back at the Americans’ previous releases, it is easy to see how the different angles of creating music in the past have come together on Requiem for Eirênê.
With Requiem for Eirênê, Isenordal dare to face the curse that creating different and unique music can bring. Also, they conjure the blessing that an excitingly new and skilfully achieved magical sound may award. May the American funeral doom innovators reap the fruits of what they have so bravely sown!
Line-up
Kerry Hall – guitar, vocals
Eva Vonne – viola, vocals
Lieu Wolfe – keyboards, vocals
Jeff King – bass, cello, wooden flute, additional strings
Brian Spenser – drums, vocals
Gordon Greenwood – guitars
Tracklist:
1. A Moment Approached Eternity
2. Await Me, Ultima Thule
3. Requiem for Eirênê
4. Epiphanies of Abhorrence and Futility
5. Saturnine Apotheosis
