Land Of The Setting Sun is the latest offering from folk metallers Isenmor and for what it is, it’s a fairly decent listen but isn’t without its flaws.
A quick scan of their bandcamp page sees the band billing their sound as “combining elements of folk metal greats Ensiferum, Heidevolk, Eluveitie, Falkenbach and Týr” and whilst that is what they have achieved with their music, it’s also Isenmor’s main problem. They haven’t found their own identity, instead choosing to emulate other bands, and it’s a shame because it’s like they’ve taken the easy way out. There’s certainly no harm in drawing influence from other acts in the genre but Isenmor’s approach seems somewhat misguided.
Musically, Land Of The Setting Sun is a decent listen. The violin line is executed particularly well and complements the guitar line well, and the drums have a fantastic relentless energy behind them, which is great to witness. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the vocals, which are a little hit and miss at times. There’s no faulting the harsh vocals, but when the clean male and female vocal approach is used, it’s almost like they’re being pitted against each other rather than the pair working together, and it sounds somewhat overpowering.
Land Of The Setting Sun could be good – it certainly has potential. However right now, everything is just a little misguided and needs a bit of fine-tuning to become something truly great.
3/10
