Artist: Isole
Country: Sweden
Label: I Hate Records
Formats: CD
Year: 2007
This is the re-release of Isole’s debut record, originally released back in early 2005. In fact, the original release never really got out of sight as I kept playing this on a very regular basis. It still is one of my all-time favourites in the classic/traditional doom genre, almost untouchable by anything recently released. This re-release has different artwork and a bonustrack.
The very much Solitude Aeturnus influenced traditional doom metal by these Swedish doomsters still sounds so woeful because of Crister’s great epic vocals and the thundering yet clean (twin) guitars. The balance between slower parts and more up tempo passages makes the music very dynamic and full of variety without loosing the doom roots, and in the end all songs tend to sound so much alike that it feels you’ve been listening to one woeful dirge. Something that is just heard so very rarely in doom (or whatever genre) that you can’t do anything but worship these songs. Their blend of great songwriting (with hints to Anathema and mid-era My Dying Bride) and sublime recording quality makes this an instant hardhitter for any doomster. The extra song on this re-release is a bit more downtuned and heavier than the seven first tracks. Here for a comparison to (early) Paradise Lost is justified, it even has some gruff vocals to underline their admiration for early British doom metal.
If you didn’t pick it up the first way round, you really shouldn’t hesitate now and get this true gem right now. It is just one of the best records in its genre that got released in recent years. I could go on for ages about this album, but a simple “I love this album” will do. You know what to do now…
