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Isvind / Orcrist > Kuldedød / Det hedenske Norge > Reviews
Isvind / Orcrist - Kuldedød / Det hedenske Norge

Isvind/Orcrist split - 30%

Byrgan, June 1st, 2008

Isvind - Side 55%

The return of the Norwegian duo, Isvind, comes to us years after a great debut release. A black metal band that gave us loads of fast and melodious harmonies in the past. Although, displayed here is a single track, and a multi-year ongoing teaser. I feel like I watched a preview for a feature motion picture. And then was disappointed when the street date is more than just a grasp away.

Isvind's song is a little more versatile than their previous style. When their previous style was primarily fast blast beats and more of a guitar oriented style of black metal. This track gives us a short guitar intro and alternating fast and mid-paced music. There is even progressions too, mixing a short solo and a quick harmonic squeal technique. The mid-tempo sections sound quite thrashy as well. Although using strummed riffs, they still exclude using palm mutes. Since the song is more drum and guitar oriented it is easy to notice his drumming techniques. The drumming isn't spectacular, and has a rather tin sounding snare drum. But he does add more fills to accompany the guitars. The vocals are a high pitched dry scream. He sounds like an incoherent, disgruntled customer yelling through a fast food drive-thru speaker. Fill in the blank about them not getting their evil fries of diabolical saltiness.

The overall presentation of this one short song elicits a more raw and sleazy style, compared to their previous more dark and atmospheric outputs. For one, it is more drum/guitar and vocal oriented, than on Dark Waters Stir, where the drums were less of an emphasis than the guitars and vocals. The production on his drum kit, displayed here, is quite lacking in bombardment or excitement. It literally sounds like a one microphone operation was initiated. Although someone should have infiltrated the mixing board, if there was one, afterwards. Their previous style on their debut Dark Waters Stir was going for a more dark and atmospheric side, and although it wasn't anything shockingly new for 96', was worth the listen. Because the execution was excellent in delivery. The style on this one short song isn't anything brand new that hasn't been done before either. Although, it has been done better. Darkthrone proved that many years ago with simplistic, updated Celtic Frost and Hellhammer influenced music. This EP is a good example of a band that conforms to the past, even years later, yet they aren't really selling you something you might not have already heard. Or better.

Orcrist - Side 5%

Doing something and saying something can be completely different things when one is accompanied with the other. I mean you're in trouble if you do something, without collecting your thoughts on the say part, if it is in your mind or outloud. And some thoughts that are said outloud are perceived as edible, but taste terrible when consumed. I can imagine Orcrist's conception coming from nods to past black metal bands. Discussing and maintaining past allegiances to 90's bm music. Then they probably decided to formulate that thought into the 'do' part of releasing this one short song. The problem is from a listener's point of view, the song doesn't catch my attention. It sounds like a quickly put together spur of the moment idea, that is the written part and the production part too. Nothing in my ears perks up at a certain moment in the song, nor does it satisfy me to relisten to it.

The song starts out with a spoken solo section. He speaks in a distorted voice about his people and siblings from the past, and wanting to join them. He sounds so much like Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that I keep imagining him saying the line from the movie: "turtles." We get a pause and then the music. Saying the production is minimal would be to exaggerate things. It is basically an 'as is' recording, not to mention the equipment is positioned someplace in the room, and distanced from the microphone. The guitars are all treble, the vocals are overbearingly loud, and the drums are somewhere in the background doing whatever it is he is doing. There is such a formula going on here that I feel like I got robbed. The distorted reverb-less, slurred drunken vocals, check. Scratchy guitars, that are annoying high-pitched, check. Bass...what bass? check. And the wandering, off-time monotonous drums, check. The only thing I can find that stands out is that he uses two guitar lines, playing in a constant tremolo fashion, while alternating between less than a hand full of riffs. So there was some preconceived thought involved somewhere along the way.

Orcrist isn't the sole proprietor of popping out a release that has been done before. This is hardly a new sentiment. But one thing is different. The number of copies of this release is quite minimal. Extreme metal listeners are hardly swatting away the distributors soliciting this. Then what gives? My overall reaction is that Orcrist is stuck in a mind set. Careless of the year this was released. Because the early nineties hardly seem like a fading point. In any case, this release is a re-hash of past ideas, without the slightest bit of innovation. Their execution of the past style isn't anything to be remembered. If there were karaoke black metal bars, we might not be in this dilemma. Orcrist would of got this out of their system, and would be just another drunken night on the town. So beware of the big flashing lights before you cross the road into this side of Orcrist territory.