Isole
The Calm Hunter

The time of year is right: rain, cold, dreary evenings. In short, the classic depressing and bleak weather that drives you to look for something doom. The Swedes Isole are the perfect prototype of those who can make sense of this time of year in music, especially since at the end of 2014 they released a new album, the sixth in their now more than a decade-long career, titled "The Calm Hunter".

The four from Gavle have built their story in the vein of a classic doom, closely related to the style of the "cousins" Candlemass. But looking closer, while Leif Edling's group has always winked at a "Nordic" epic pathos, Isole have aimed since their debut "Forevermore" on the more "decadent" aspect of the genre, the one more attentive to emotional urges. A more cryptic, lacerating doom, but decisively distant from the funereal and sepulchral atmospheres of names like Shape Of Despair or the early My Dying Bride.

In a work of this type, originality is certainly not sought, an element increasingly rare in the metallic cauldron. Isole are lulled by the classic elements of the genre, relying on a formula tested for years. The growl that popped up several times in the previous "Born From Shadows" (2011) returns to slumber, except for a few fleeting flashes that leave no trace. The guitars have remained those of the duo composed of Olsson and Daniel Bryntse, with the latter also as a vocalist. The vocal component is fundamental for Isole, and Bryntse deserves a mention for his ability to best express the atmospheres of an ambiguous genre, which often relies so much, if not everything, on the vocal approach. Bryntse's timbre is recognizable and perfectly chiseled into the sound architecture of the Swedes. The title track, in addition to opening the dance, immediately shows us the band's stylistic coordinates, with riffs of a clear Scandinavian school, oppressive atmosphere, and the apocalyptic-like opening of the central part, with Opethian reminiscence. Eight minutes where we have all this, in addition to the redundancy of some passages. A single piece that already clarifies a bit of what the whole album's trend will be, between positive and negative elements.

It's difficult to expect anything different from the latest Isole work. There is everything that can satisfy a lover of more classic and less uncompromising doom, and in this sense, it cannot but mention "Dead to Me", which marries power and melody, with a solo part that again brings to mind their fellow countrymen Opeth of "Damnation," without neglecting catchiness in a decidedly spot-on refrain. Perhaps the highlight of the album, the piece that exemplifies the Scandinavian combo's musical idea more than any other.

"The Calm Hunter" is a cry of "substance." One of those works certifying the value of a musical project. Nothing you can't find in other names in the metallic panorama, decidedly distant from their masterpiece "Bliss Of Solitude." Without wanting to overthrow their sound, Isole attempted a more "melodic" approach, without losing sight of their origins, mixing vintage doom, "gothic" fascinations, and "epic-oriented" solutions. An album that will rarely go beyond the small circle of genre lovers, but that underscores the attitude and consistency of a band that has managed to carve out a positive aura within a genre now close to saturation.

1. "The Calm Hunter" (8:23)
2. "Dead To Me (The Destroyer Part I)" (5:44)
3. "Into Oblivion" (7:15)
4. "The Eye Of Light" (7:45)
5. "Perdition" (6:56)
6. "Alone In Silence" (7:02)
7. "My Regret (The Destroyer Part II)" (7:57)