Isengard
Høstmørke

"And there were no more days."

Isengard. The great solo project of Fenriz (which he had created with the specific intention of showcasing his true musical essence), the charismatic drummer of Darkthrone, is brought to definitive completion in 1995, with the production of the first and last full-length album "Høstmørke" ("autumn darkness" in Norwegian), following the release of the compilation "Vinterskugge".

Drawing some general considerations, I will not refer to the last two tracks. To describe it in a few adjectives, "Høstmørke" is a well-varied, ambitious, and very evocative work, an imposing synthesis of aggressive black metal and ethereal, timeless folk. Imagine Fenriz improvising as a storyteller, a bit like in Storm, and narrating to us, with his powerful and mellifluous voice (and clean, in short, no screaming or growling), of echoes, voices of ancient memories, glories lost in time, Norwegian myths, and anti-Christian stories using simple and raw-sounding melodies typical of Darkthrone's black metal but with a tremendous impact. There is no particular technique, the drumming consists of simple and rather bland beats (for the genre) that repeat throughout the work, and even though Fenriz's clean voice reaches very high peaks, I dare say that this work demonstrates once again how the elementary nature of the sound is not always a fault. "Høstmørke" opens with "Neslepaks", one of the most significant tracks, which means, interpreting its sense, "Destruction" (the opposite of "Neslepaks" is "Skapelsen" which means "Creation" in Norwegian) characterized by icy and dark riffs. The biblical tale of Genesis is twisted, and it narrates the end of days: a notably inspired, satirical, and apocalyptic text.

"Landet Og Havet" follows as the second track: no instruments, a single choir where the voice of the Darkthrone drummer rises with great solemnity: an anthem to his land, the Norwegian realm whose glory and splendor he extols. The result is one of the most evocative and at the same time least elaborate tracks. It is followed by "I kamp med hvitekrist", which picks up the sound and strongly anti-Christian themes of "Neslepaks", adding a more frenetic and pressing rhythm. The fourth track, "I ei gran borti nordre Åsen", the apex: extremely intense, deep, lacerating like some works of Burzum (it's not an audacious comparison: listen to believe). Weak, long keyboard notes, disconnected, almost desperate screams. An interplay of two melodic riffs chasing, reaching, losing each other: it gives the sensation of a symphony from a tormented soul, a black pearl of rare pathos. With "Over de syngende Øde moer", there's the last burst of greatness: the air becomes decadent, dark, and dramatically distressing, while maintaining the solemnity that pervades the entire work. Here the magic ends: "Høstmørke" concludes with the last two tracks, "Thornspawn Chalice" and "Total Death", which completely lose that peculiar atmosphere of the previous songs to offer a purely black sound of Darkthrone lineage, much less inspired. The originality of the project and the compositional genius are not felt here, and they are, along with the strong evocative charge, the major qualities of "Høstmørke".

In conclusion, an album that is a masterpiece nearly achieved, completely different from "Vinterskugge" and vaguely similar to "Nordavind" by Storm. It's a pity, one might say, that after this last effort Fenriz decided to shelve the project.