isgalder

Isgalder Shriek "To the Hall of the Stars"

isgalder

For every zeitgeisty band hitting of-the-moment trends on the nose, there are legions of outsiders proudly letting their freak flags fly. It is our privilege to bring you a notable bearer of such unorthodox artistic vision in the form of To the Hall of the Stars, the debut EP from German “epic black metal” band Isgalder. This three-track EP (plus b-sides) is the creation of vocalist and guitarist Grimwald, a.k.a. Syderyth G., of mining-themed black metal duo Dauþuz, plus drummer/keyboardist Moppel.

In comparison to Grimwald’s earlier work with Dauþuz, Isgalder takes a decidedly folksier bent. The twin chief hallmarks of the band’s sound are Moppel’s leads and atmospheric layers, as well as the switch to clean vocals by Grimwald. Check out an exclusive premiere of the To the Hall of the Stars EP below.

These songs all feature a strong ebb and flow between folk-leaning sections and their more straightforward black metal counterparts. Grimwald marries his baritone with plodding drums, resounding chords, and druidic flute melodies to evoke dense forests, looming mountains, and vast grasslands. Conversely, he employs in other movements his classic black metal shriek — familiar to Dauþuz fans — above Moppel’s blast beats as well as harrowing tremolo work on guitar and bass from bandmates Mephistopheles and Aussen Geist.

Most niftily, Isgalder decided to include an alternate take of each song. These b-sides provide an intriguing window into the band’s creative process, and it’d be interesting to hear their thoughts on the differences between each pair along with their motivations behind the final choices they ultimately made.

— Ivan Belcic

Isgalder are releasing To the Hall of the Stars on Friday, March 9th via Hellthrasher Productions. The EP can be ordered now at Hellthrasher’s Bandcamp.