Isengard is the now legendary Fenriz’s old, long-defunct folk black metal side project. However, this was truer during the band’s later years and releases. Here, at the very beginning, is the Spectres over Gorgoroth demo.

Released in 1989, this sounds more like the Darkthrone death metal demos than anything resembling actual black metal, let alone folk black metal. The music is incredibly raw death metal, most resembling the Land of Frost and Thulcandra demos. Additionally, the whole thing is pretty damn short, clocking at only about 11 and a half minutes for 5 tracks.

The actual music is pretty fucking good: pure old-school death metal with an atmosphere too morbid for black metal. The old-school sound is especially helped by the production, which is both raw yet incredibly thick, in the way that many death metal demos seem to sound. The great thing is that the instrumentation is already fully developed and it’s evident that the listener is dealing with a competent band. The guitar riffs are exceptionally good and memorable, if occasionally a little buried because of the production, while the drumming is pretty good but truly hampered by the production sound and sometimes being too loud in the mix, drowning out the excellent riffs. The bass can be heard loudly enough and works well with the rest of the music, while the vocals are Fenriz’s rather strange mix of yells, grunts and growls. While eclectic and sometimes bizarre sounding, his efforts work very well with the rest of the music. All in all, every single element works well together to form an unmistakeable old-school death metal atmosphere that sounds immature but purely authentic.

Spectres over Gorgoroth is an overlooked yet essential view in the early career of Fenriz, and is interesting not only in the context of Isengard’s music but also with Darkthrone, as the music here is very similar to the demos released by Darkthrone around the same time. Since acquiring the original is most likely very difficult at best, most interested parties will acquire this demo as part of the Vinterskugge compilation.

The compilation is a collection of the 3 demos put out by Isengard between 1989 and 1993. The first 7 tracks are the Vandreren demo, the next 5 are the Spectres over Gorgoroth demo and the last 4 are the Horizons demo. Each individual demo is different in itself and each individual song structurally varies from one another.

Vinterskugge is yet another album that further inflames my dreams of someday knowing Norwegian as it is filled with ample lyrical content. Isengard offers an album that has by far one of the highest numbers of different genres I’ve heard on one release.

The first song of the album focuses very much on a hypnotic approach by playing the same guitar riff repeatedly, whereas the subsequent song are led in different directions. Track two “Gjennom Skogen til Blåfjellene” varies by taking on a more ambient approach, whereas track three works with interludes of slower and faster progression that emphasize on the raspy black metal vocals; the Darkthrone sound is prevalent most on the third track. The sixth track alternatively approaches from a Folk Metal aspect. The first time Isengard sounds distinctly folk is on this and the next track, “Naglfar” which is also a highlight. The remaining tracks continue in similar fashion until track 8, which is the start of the very first Isengard Demo.

This is a brutal mix of black metal and death/doom metal that sounds like something Beherit’s album “Drawing Down the Moon” would sound like if sped up. The demo is basically a preparation to “A Soulside Journey” that would come out 2 years later and would sound like a polished version of this demo. The most appropriate description of this demo would involve the words raw and primitive. The songs are solid and offer variety to the overall compilation.

The tracks that follow compose the “Horizons” demo. The first track “The Fog (early 1991),” still displays lingering influences of death metal. The next track “Storm of Evil,” however, introduces Fenriz’s distinctive vocals, in English, with a dirty rock & roll influenced tone. The following track then changes it up to a drone doom metal sound, which left me speechless. I have not heard a musical range of this sort in a long time and this compilation is indeed a masterpiece due in part to the array of sounds that make up Isengard. “Horizons” is by far the most intriguing demo, and rightfully is the conclusion which leaves the listener captivated and repeatedly interested. The culmination “Our Lord Will Come,” could not have fit more perfectly. It has an old school doom metal feel to it and focuses on mesmerizing vocals that could be compared to King Diamond’s, when he sang on "King Diamond & Black Rose 20 Years Ago (A Night Of Rehearsal).”

Vinterskugge is a fascinating blend of sounds and is a hint of how much Darkthrone’s discography would vary throughout the years. The rating displays both the feeling towards the sound of each individual song & demo and the overall impression it leaves after you’re done listening to it. It is quite possibly the most diverse release to ever come out of Norway.

Essentially Isengard is a solo outlet for Fenriz (Darkthrone / Storm) giving him room to write music which is not limited by the restrictions of a band. As is to be expected from a member of Darkthrone there is very minimal production standards and a very basic and raw approach to instrumentation. If you are looking for Isengard's definitive release then 'Hostmorke' is what you are looking for, whilst 'Vinterskugge' is a collection of three demos leading up to the release of 'Hostmorke' from 1989, 1991 and 1993. The quality of these three demos are incredibly varied therefore it will be better to examine each one seperately. If you have yet to experience the 'Hostmorke' album then it is recommended to go there first before delving into the very primitave and raw history of Isengard. Upon a flick through the digipack you will see very darkened portraits of a cloaked figure grasping fire-lit torches and a staff in the middle of the woods and sprawling Norse landscapes. This is the perfect visuals for the music which you are about to hear once you press play on the cd player.

Chapter I is Isengard's 'Vandreren' demo from 1993. The songs are varied but is probably the most adequate point from which to compare earlier Isengard demos to 'Hostmorke'. From the beginning we hear folk tunes played on guitar with a very black metal tinge to it. Fenriz sings in a unique clean voice that is very deep, partly operatic. There is obviously a strong connection which Fenriz feels to his Viking heritage. He sings with such a sincere passion and pride as well. The next few songs are all very different to each other and is great to see such variation. 'Gjennom Skogen Til Blaafjellene' is basically two long guitars playing in unison with each other, later joined by keyboard. The connection from Isengard to Darkthrone could not be proved more than with the next song 'Ut I Vannets Dyp Hvor Morket Hviler' which could easily have been a lost track off 'Transilvanian Hunger' with the punishing force and feel of Von's 'Satanic Blood'. We return back into clean vocals next with 'Dommedagssalme', a much slower and doomier piece compared to the rest of his works. After this we hear a drastic shift into MIDI synths with 'In The Halls And Chambers Of Stardust The Crystallic Heavens Open', a very atmospheric and sad piece reminiscent of some of Burzum's ambient works. 'Fanden Lokker Til Stupet (Nytrad)' is another instrumental track with distorted chainsaw guitars playing in mid paced folk structures and the addition of medieval flutes and plenty of splash cymbals. 'Naglfar' closes this chapter with another clean voiced track with dense atmospheric keys and plenty of bass.

Chapter II is a demo from 1989 entitled 'Spectres Over Gorgoroth' and is probably the weakest point on this CD. There is much more of a thrashy death metal edge to it and none of the songs hold much longevity. This chapter is more in line with what Darkthrone were doing at this stage, but nothing which really hints at the future folky direction that Isengard will take. The songs are quite short, clocking in at an average of two minutes. There are basic riffs aplenty and the frequent Celtic Frost influence worming its way in, especially with the grunts coming from Fenriz's mouth during 'Trollwandering;. There is nothing too memorable to say about this demo. There are indeed flaws which are to be expected and no songs really standout, stick in your head or even warrant a second listen. The production on this demo is also incredibly muddy and primitave.

Chapter III is another demo entitled 'Horizons' from 1991 and opens with a slow, crushing and doomy song called 'The Fog' which brings to mind names like Beherit. The vocals are as brutal and intense as one would expect from Fenriz. 'Storm Of Evil' is a large shift in direction, an upbeat track with deep clean vocals and appropriately placed keyboards. At times I hear similarities to punk / deathrock when it comes to the upbeat yet gloomy melodies combined with Fenriz's voice. At times he reminds me of Ian Curtis, late of Joy Division (am I now going to be hung for that one!). 'Storm Of Evil' is intriguing as it shows similarities to later works of Isesngard but isnt instantly recognisable as an Isengard song. 'Bergtrollets Gravferd' is a synth interlude delving into dark dungeon like atmospheres alike early works of Mortiis. Finishing this collection of demos we have a song called 'Our Lord Will Come', another odd recording with vocals thatsound like Fenriz's clean voice sped up slightly. Production is incredibly weak here and sounds dubbed from an old cassette.

'Vinterskugge' is an interesting probe back into the history of such a respected name in Norwegian black metal history. Just look at the number of Darkthrone inspired bands that exist now. This compilation of demos falls very short of the grandeur of 'Hostmorke', however 'Vinterskugge' is more for sentimental value looking back on Fenriz's music career. There are a few brilliant songs on here, and also some second-rate songs. Buy at your own risk, however is a must for Darkthrone obsessee's or those who were spellbound by 'Hostmorke'. Hail Fenriz!

Here we have the first bigger release from Isengard, Vinterskugge. This was an absolute great idea, to combine the first 3 demos for all to hear. It makes it a lot easier since demos can be hard to get sometimes, hail Fenriz for his great music making.

The first demo 'Vandreren', starts out folky with the title track Vinterskugge, this is a great song, it has some catchy riffs and Fenriz' vocals are great as usual with the operatic sound. It then goes into a good instrumental track which fades out soon after it starts and then comes back in and gets a little more complex, it's a nice track to listen to. The cd then completely changes gears and goes black metal with 'Ut i Vannets dyp Hvor Morket Hviler', this is a good black metal track with the standard black metal riffs and drumming and it is nice to have a variety. The rest of this cd basically follows this trend of going from more folky sounding songs to black metal to folk black metal and instrumentals. It is definetly one of the cd's strengths that it is able to be so diverse that it never gets boring.

All the instrument playing on this cd is fantastic, Fenriz plays every single instrument like a pro, when he plays guitar he uses simple but effective riffs that are catchy and could even get you dancing the odd time. His drumming is pretty standard but it gets the job done and fits the music, this goes the same for the bass too, it's standard, but a great kind of standard.

For Fenriz, the production on this cd is fairly clear. All the instruments are well heard, in comparison to Darkthrone or even the cd that followed this release 'Høstmørke', it is definetly great to be able to hear everything so well.

Fans of Darkthrone or folk black metal would do well to pick this up, when Isengard was active, I believe Isengard was at the top of the genre, Høstmørke was a little better than this, but this is still great none the less, If you can find it, get it.

Compiling three demo's in reverse chronological order, the first Isengard album, despite it's disjointed nature, is one of the most excellent releases to ever emerge from Norway following the post-1991 black metal explosion. Of course, this is the solo project of Darkthrone percussionist/satanic poet Fenriz, so it's not surprising that it's so damn good.

First up, the title track "Vinterskugge" is a trudging, doom-laden epic based around a couple of chugging, morbid riffs and some serious minimalist drumwork, while Herr Nagell croons in his trademark monotone viking-chant in his native tongue. It's catchy as hell, and very reminiscent of classic 80's doom metal with an epic Nordic twist. Then "Gjennom Skogen til Blaafjellene" is a long, guitar-only instrumental (an idea which Judas Iscariot would later capitalize on to great effect), which maintains the killer atmosphere through serious manipulation of simplicity. There is absolutely no sign of technical wizardry here, just simple, effective instrumentation conveying an awe-inspiring atmosphere. The rest of the first 7 tracks follow a similar framework to the opener - slow, eerie guitar, simple rhythms and clean vocals, with the exception of "In The Halls And Chambers of Stardust The Crystalline Heavens Open", which is a synth instrumental, and the faster, pure black metal assault of "Ut i Vannetas dyp hvar Morket hviler", which starts out speedy before settling into a loping groove similar to the material from Under A Funeral Moon. The pick of the bunch here is definitely "Naglfar", a twisted, crushing epic which makes great use of Fenriz's vocals and carries an excellent melody. It concludes with the, er, amusing sound of a belch.

The next demo is from 1989 - Spectres Over Gorgoroth - and here we get 5 short, intense tracks of primitive old school death metal, similar to Darkthrone's efforts of the time but a lot more primal and gutteral. The songs are obviously copied from a cassette, since you can hear plenty of pitch-warble and hiss, but that merely adds to the old-school feel. Then we return to a more blackened pitch on "The Fog", before the bizarre, pure rock'n'roll "Storm Of Evil" - this is what The Misfits would've sounded like if they were Norwegian black metallers. That's followed by another instrumental, then a perplexing half-minute of silence before the crushing doom metal finale "Our Lord Will Come", which proceeds at the pace of a funeral dirge while Fenriz warbles in a bizarrely cheerful-sounding voice. It's a strange ending to a monumental classic, but it fits perfectly. This album is the sound of an artist who's not scared to use any form of expression necessary to get the point across. Not only is it easily the most varied album to emerge from Norge, but it's also one of the most consistently brilliant. Eclecticism without compromising quality or artistic integrity - a lesson many of the former black metal bands turned experimental wankers would do well to learn from.

1995 was a very busy time for Fenriz. In a very short span of time, albums were released from Darkthrone, Storm, Neptune Towers, Dødheimsgard and his Folk Black Metal side-project, Isengard. Some would say that he was spreading himself a bit too thin, but the effects of this would not be seen until the following year. As for Høstmørke, Fenriz managed to deliver exactly what fans of the Vandreren demo were looking for.

"Neslepaks" starts the album with the same clean vocals found on the previous demo, quite similar to the style used on Nordavind, as well. Of course, this is a solo album, with Fenriz handling everything. The only involvement of outsiders comes from a couple brief vocal additions from members of Dødheimsgard. Musically, this is quite similar to songs like "Vinterskugge", though the feeling is a little darker. There is also some implementation of harsh vocals on this song. It's rather mid-paced, using the standard beat found in some of the Viking-era Bathory albums. Admittedly, Folk Black Metal is not my area of expertise, so I have little else to compare it to. Some have complained about Fenriz's clean vocals, but they sound powerful and well-delivered. The lyrics are in Norwegian, and one can detect a certain level of confidence in his vocals. He knew exactly what he wished to achieve and did it quite well.

"Oven til kosmos’ endeløse tidsrom skjenker vi den siste død"

The next song is "Landet Og Havet", which is very brief and pro-Norway in its lyrical approach. Of course this refers to the land itself, not to the government. It's not political in any manner. This consists only of vocal tracks, with no instrumentation. I imagine that it may be some traditional folk song, but this is unknown to me.

"I Kamp Med Kvitekrist" is another mid-paced song that is very similar to the opener. The sound quality isn't so great, giving the impression that this was taken straight from a tape, without being mastered. There is a slightly harsher edge to the vocals, at certain points, to give an added sense of aggression. Some of the background melodies are reminiscent of "Naglfar", though I wouldn't place this song in equal standing with that one.

This is followed by, what is essentially, an instrumental, "I Ei Gran Borti Nordre Åsen". There are vocals, but they seem to be utilized as merely another instrument, as I don't think there are any actual lyrics. The feeling is kind of dark and dismal. One almost gets the impression of people marching into a battle that they know they will lose. Certain death looms on the horizon, yet they must face it anyway. They are not afraid as they continue on toward their grim fate. The women and children weep as the men go off to war. They know that they'll never see them again, but fate cannot be denied.

"Over De Syngende Øde Moer" begins with a riff that wouldn't have been too out of place on Panzerfaust. Fenriz hits higher notes than on previous songs, really showing his range and conveying a lot of passion. This all adds to the epic feeling of the track. As the others, this is fairly slow and features sone really nice melodies that are dark, yet therein lies the beauty. It is easy to get swept away by this song, lost in its haunting atmosphere. This is definitely one of the highlights of the album.

At this point, the whole feel of the album shifts as we encounter "Thornspawn Chalice". This one is an epic, mid-paced Black Metal song. The vocals are very harsh and tortured, adding to the dark atmosphere, displaying that Fenriz can really pull this off pretty well. The lyrics seem to have been written long before this album was recorded, as they bear many similarities to those from the early period of Darkthrone. The folk-like rhythms are no longer present and the overall sound is as ugly and raw as that found on Panzerfaust. One could almost say that this song should have been saved for Total Death, as it would have surely raised its value. After a few minutes, the pace picks up and Fenriz unleashes one of the last brilliant tremolo riffs that he'd ever come up with, apparently. While this song really goes against the folk style of the earlier tracks, it still manages to keep within the same realm and this one riff certainly makes it worthwhile. This is the longest track on Høstmørke, as well as one of only two with English lyrics. The clean vocals mixed with the harsh ones, near the end of the song, creates a brilliant effect that one must simply experience to understand.

"Who fills their chalice with Thornspawn visions
Embrace symbols of That Night without end"

"Total Death" is the one song that doesn't fit in as well. It's a rather short, fast-paced, Black Metal song that has a lot of similarities to Darkthrone, but wouldn't really fit on any of their albums (except for the one of the same title), due to the strange riffing that is employed during certain parts. However, others riffs here utilized are right up the alley of any fan of old Darkthrone. As with the last song, one has to wonder why Fenriz didn't save this one for the next L.P. from his primary band.

Høstmørke should please those who are into other projects that Fenriz has been affiliated with. If you're a fan of pure Folk Metal, I can't say whether or not you would enjoy this as my knowledge of that particular sub-genre is almost nonexistent. The only thing I might compare it to, in atmosphere alone, might be the Viking-era Bathory stuff. It really doesn't sound anything like that, but it manages to convey a vaguely similar feeling. This is, more or less, something you simply have to hear for yourself.

Because frankly I don’t think anyone, Fenriz included, could have ever taken this release seriously. I’ve always had trouble considering Darkthrone themselves as more than a complete joke to begin with, but I abandon it to black metal specialists. However this is supposed to be half folk metal, so I guess it more or less falls into my realm, though I now wish I had never crossed the way of this parody of an album.

First of all, this release lacks of the most elementary coherence. I wrote “half folk metal”, and indeed this could apply to the first five songs, but the last two ones are pure black metal, with screaming vocals, blastbeats and everything one generally associates with the genre. So tell me, what’s the meaning of this? If I wanted to hear Fenriz playing black metal, I would have listened to a Darkthrone album, period. Now I won’t develop more on those two tracks to focus on what was supposed to be the main interest of this release, the folk-inspired tracks. But unfortunately they suck so much they can’t redeem the BM tracks a single bit.

I don’t know how much time Fenriz spent on this work, but let’s just admit he doesn’t seem to have involved much effort in the songwriting as well as the recording. On the songwriting first, I can barely think of songs simpler than those. All of them consist in the same melody repeated ad nauseam, when there’s of course an actual melody to be heard through those painful and clumsy guitar lines. Do you really call music those two keyboard notes on which is built I Ei Gran Borti Nordre Asen, which are endlessly repeated during not less than 3.5 minutes? And don’t tell me Fenriz actually WROTE his vocal lines before recording, they reek far too much of crappy improvisation, as most of the album if one think of it half a minute.

Not only one struggles to find a sketch of a vocal line, but the voice itself is unbearable. Indeed, this is a clean voice. Of the worst sort you could think about, the voice of some drunken retard, most of time off-key if there’s a key to be found somewhere, this album overall sounding like the perfect negation of any music. And when you know the atrocious second track is entirely a capella, it gives you an idea of the kind of torture it is. Besides, I really wonder if Fenriz is even able to use a mike properly, as vocals often seem to go back and forth in the mix for no obvious reason, without mentioning the high amount of parasite noise. Eventually, most vocals consists in some shitty chant – something like aaaaah aaaah aaaaah aah, you really have to listen to it to believe it – as if he didn’t bother for writing lyrics. There are some, occasionally, but as they’re in Norwegian I’m unable to judge their intellectual content, though I guess I’m not missing very much.

The instrumental mastery is on the same level the vocals are, simply because it can’t be lower. Not only the songs are atrociously easy as stated before, but he doesn’t even seem to be able to perform them correctly. Fenriz is Darkthrone’s drummer, isn’t he? Thus I suppose at least the drums should have sounded decent. They aren’t, or better, what you may hear of them, lost in the shamefully raw production, isn’t. Note that there aren’t drums on every track, but when there are they consist in some basic 2/4 beat without almost any variation, something the most badly programmed machine could have done.

Finally as I said the production is abysmal as well, but considering there’s nothing worthwhile to be heard there anyway, I wouldn’t have given a fuck for a cleaner sound. I may recommend this release to anyone who feels like jerking off on anything Darkthrone-related, otherwise, just avoid. I give it 20% for a good reason though: the first time I listened to it this album, it made me laugh as I think music never did before. That alone is worth a small reward, isn’t it?

Highlights: what are you expecting?

Of all the bastard children projects Fenriz has Isengard may be the only one that stands out, in part because Isengard is only consisting of Fenriz and no other second rate musicians to water down his ideas. Hostmorke won’t amaze you with musicianship or the layout of the songs. It is nothing terribly too complex or mind blowing. It certainly doesn’t have the best production either, of course that is expected with a Fenriz project. What may catch the listener’s attention is the unique vocals that come out of Fenriz as well as how he tries incorporate folk elements into basically Darkthrone style riffs and metal. Fenriz certainly posses the ability to play folk music, and he posses the ability to sing in a folk style, but his ability to fuse folk with Darkthrone style black metal is debatable and questionable. One thing is for sure, that this is original and something that in its own right is good.

There are a lot of Darkthrone style elements to be found on Hostmorke, naturally. The intro riff to Neslepaks sounds exactly like a Darkthrone song. What immediately makes Neslepaks an Isengard song and not a carbon copy of Darkthrone is Fenriz’s unique vocals. They are sung in a loud clean folk style. Almost a chanting where Fenriz is trying to project his voice as if he had to speak to many people without aid of a microphone. There are plenty of dirty black metal style vocals on this album as well, but they are always second to the more dominant loud folk style vocals. Landet Og Havet is a melodic track with no instruments, just Fenriz singing with plenty of volume and layering his vocals apart from themselves to make him sound like a medieval choir of sorts. The rest of the album keeps up with this unique vocal style. I Ei Gran Borti Nordre Åsen is a melodic black metal song with a slow moving pace which works well with the vocals. It also introduces a horn to the album that carries the song with a simple rhythm. To make the song metal at times a few slow, raw, and dirty guitar riffs are presented during non vocal parts. The song didn’t necessarily need them, and I feel would have been better suited if the song used more unique instruments to metal, like a pipe instrument or something of the nature. What makes Hostmorke good and original is that although its labeled as a Folk Metal album it doesn’t use many folk instruments, it how Fenriz uses the unique vocals that when combined with the blackened folk rhythms of the songs makes the need for folk metal instruments irrelevant. Although there were a few times where a folk instrument would have been nice, but not necessary.

Many folk metal bands have folk, then metal, then folk again. Creating an album which isn’t a folk album, nor is it a metal album. Fenriz doesn’t use Folk instruments in many of the songs on Hostmorke, therefore this problem is almost non existent. Instead he plays the guitar and structures the songs to have a blackened folk style rhythm so that his folk style vocals work well with it and take over the need for any folk instruments. This in turn allows for the entire song to be of a folk structure and style, although no folk instruments are played it still certainly has the feel of a folk song. Neslepaks has an traditional German oompa style rhythm going for it at times that when combined with the loud vocals forms a unique sound which isn’t done by many. Over De Syngende Øde Moer also has a nice folk style rhythm that is slow and a bit more choppy than the rest of the album. At times the song has some dirty raw Darkthrone style riffs that make it a bit metal. But these are done at exactly the right time and are used the right amount of times to create a well balanced folk metal song. The majority of the album flows like this, except for the last two songs which although good, do not fit on the album at all.

The only problem this album encountered is on the last two songs, Thornspawn Chalice and Total Death. These are typical, very typical, black metal songs. Dirty, raw, and grim guitar riffs, repetitive second place drums, and the normal screeching grim vocals. All that good stuff. But there are none of the unique Isengard style vocals to be found, nor the enjoyable folk structure. Its like someone took these two songs off a Carpathian Forest album. They do not fit at all basically making this album five unique blackened folk metal songs, and two black metal songs. All of the songs are good, but if this album stayed on the track it was heading by keeping the last two songs in the style of the rest of the album then Hostmorke would be one unique and amazing album. While all the songs with the folk elements are very well done and very enjoyable, the consistency that was broken on the last two songs ruined the flow of the album and limits Hostmorke’s originality. Since Hostmorke is basically the only good full length album doing what it does, it has a monopoly of this specific style of music, or genre. For what the album has it is very enjoyable and unique (something that the black metal world has seem for forgotten as of recently). For its originality and just some very enjoyable and well laid out blackened folk metal Hostmorke gets its high rating.

Isengard is a one man band, who plays FOLK black metal. This contains some awesome riffage, awesome drums, etc. But what sets this album apart is that it feels SO fucking medieval. Folk metal usually makes me picture folklore, most of the time. However, when I heard this release, I could easily picture anything medieval, like fights or whatever. The first thing that made me think " whoa...medieval" is the vocals. They're not your usual black metal vocals. They're low-pitched melodic vocals, and believe me, they will probably sound like nothing you've heard before.

The most medieval song on this is undoubtably I Ei Gran Borti Nordre Asen (whatever that means...). It starts out with a simple melody played by some
keyboard, and then he starts singing on a very low tone. The whole song feels like an interlude though, since it has no drums or bass, and it's shorter than most other songs on this album. I also have to mention Landet og Havet, which is just him singing. This one also sound very medieval, especially when he introduces the high and low vocals in the same time.

It's that simple, this is probably the closest to medieval an album will ever get. Recommended to both black and folk metal fans.

Fuck Elvenking. They can't write folk metal worth shit. They try and act like they know what they're doing, but for all the trouble they go through they should try actually learning how to write something halfway decent for a change. And I know just who should teach them.

You want something melodic that makes you dance? This has it. You want something that gives your inner Lord of the Rings fan a chill? This has it. You want something that makes you headbanging and worship the black goat of Mendes? THIS HAS IT. Fenriz pulls out some concepts on this album that I didn't even know you could do. Like, mixing folk and black metal and not having it utterly suck.

Fenriz is a good musician, and he plays some good guitars and bass and drums on this. But it all takes a backseat to the vocals. You've heard of Garm? Fenriz sounds just like him. His vocal style is all-encompassingly operatic, but he also breaks into some truly sick and disgusting black metal rasps, too. He has a lot of talent in this field and I can't believe it's going to waste, now that he's no longer recording with Isengard anymore.

Now, those expecting a bastardized Darkthrone should download a song or two and listen to see if you like it, because this really doesn't sound anything like that at all. Sure, there are a couple of black metal songs, but for the most part it's folk, with highly melodic vocals and that black Druidistic feel. This may not appeal to everyone, but if it appeals to you, you will truly enjoy this.

The best tracks are Neslepaks and Landet Og Havet. The former is a very Nordic-sounding song, like something the Vikings would sing around a campfire, or whatever it was they did. The latter does not have any vocals, but it has a VERY good vocal performance that more than makes up for its lack of instrumentation and its short length. The other good songs are I Kamp Med Hvitekrist and Thornspawn Chalice, the latter being one of the aforementioned black metal songs.

If you're looking for something folky and evil and not Elvenking, buy this, or download it, I don't know if they sell it anymore. This is truly an underappreciated album by an underappreciated band.

I'll start off by saying that Fenriz' competency as a solo artist amazes me. He may have discarded Isengard back in 1995, but even then his contribution to Darkthrone was minimal as far as actual music was concerned (only doing the drumwork). In Isengard, Fenriz took care of everything, and he did it well.

Now Vinterskugge was a great album, but words cannot describe how much better Høstmørke is. Vinterskugge focused on the aspects of folk and black metal equally, while Høstmørke places much more emphasis on the folk side of things. The only real black metal on the album is seen in the last two tracks, "Thornspawn Chalice" and "Total Death". Furthermore, these are the only low points of the album, "Thornspawn Chalice" being slightly better. On the rest of the album everything is amazing, from the folk music to the highly melodic vocals.

Which brings me to my next point: the vocals. I'll quote the person who originally recommended me Fenriz by saying "his voice has character". Simple as it is, that statement sums it up entirely. The vocals on the folk side of the album are clean, melodic, and rather operatic sounding (for lack of a better word, mind you); they are captivating and are by all means a sole reason for listening to the album.

The music on the folk part of the album is just as good. While fairly simple sounding, it draws you in and complements the vocal style perfectly. The riffs in the songs (or at least, the songs with riffs) are all extremely varied too, straying from the repetitive sounds often seen in similar styles/genres. The drums (Fenriz' main instrument, it seems) are also very well done. Songs like "Landet og Havet" and "I ei Gran Borti Nordre Åsen" deviate from the normal folk sound, yet still blending in perfectly with the rest of the album. The former is actually sung in the vein of the Christmas carol "What Child Is This?"...I am sure if this was at all intentional, but the two do sound strikingly similar; the latter uses some traditional folk-sounding instrument whose name or origin I am not aware of.

It's really a shame Fenriz isn't still making Isengard albums; nevertheless, Høstmørke should fulfill your musical desires for a long period of time despite its short length.

Highlights: "Neslepaks", "Landet og Havet", "I Kamp med Hvitekrist", "I ei Gran Borti Nordre Åsen"

I love Isengard.

If I didn't love Isengard, I would have had no interest in doling out $20 for two outtakes by a project that's been inactive since 1995. If that sounds underwhelming, that's because it is. It's not a crucial part of Isengard's discography, and it's not meant to be. It's a curio for longtime fans, a little piece of history for those who care enough to listen.

Those who do care enough will be nothing if not surprised. Neither track sounds especially akin to the black/death of Vinterskugge or the black/folk of Høstmørke, and they certainly don't sound like each other.

"The Light" is the more familiar of the two. Featuring Fenriz' pseudo-operatic vocals mirroring melodic guitar lines, superficial similarities to "Neslepaks" abound. But this is still a far cry from the rollicking 6/8 bounce of Høstmørke. The riffs share a lot more with classic doom metal, and the vocals are doused in reverb that gives them a cavernous and ghostly effect. After some surprisingly melodic dual guitar work, the song breaks into double-time. Accompanied by a harsh scream, the section is reminiscent of late-'80s thrash and gives a much-needed energy boost before the track returns to a plodding doom tempo featuring a short section of spoken vocals. While the riffs here are entirely enjoyable and the multiple tempo shifts are exciting enough, it's easy to understand why this never made the cut for official Isengard releases. It's not bad at all, it's just nowhere near as good as the rest.

The same cannot be said of B-side "The Fright". Full of palm-muted riffs that almost recall groove metal, the track seems almost like an updated version of Black Sabbath. The most striking departure from other Isengard material, however, is the vocals. If the pitches didn't fall in a baritone range, one might assume that Fenriz had inhaled some helium before cutting the vocal track. His voice here is nasal and strange, completely unrecognizable to those accustomed to the bellowing, chesty cleans he normally sings. This is probably the biggest disappointment on the two-song 7". While the vocals do fit the song, it would almost undoubtedly have sounded better sung in Fenriz' natural voice (not to mention how irritating this new vocal style is). The riffs are pretty boring here too - when so much of Isengard is based on mobile riffs that dance up and down the fretboard, the low-string chugging sounds very pedestrian. I don't dislike the song outright, but it certainly could've remained in the vaults without any detriment to Isengard's legacy.

As I said earlier, this release is nothing more than a curiosity. It's a pair of fine-but-not-great songs whose value lies in their origin rather than their actual content. If you're a huge Isengard fan, it's probably enough bang for your buck. But if you're a casual listener this record has nothing to offer you, and if you're just getting into the band this disc will probably turn you away.