Isvinds’ new album Gud is exactly that and more. It is super good. In its efferent simplicity it lifts up and bites hard. Harder than a blistering northern wind at high altitude and just as beautiful.
A cascade of the earlier Norwegian black metal movement and one that eschews many of the embelishments that later made the clinical production of the bastard children of thrash and punk an isolated wave. It imbues those traditional values succinctly and with learned trophies. The confident and firm definition of the albums’ sound leaves room for more scope within the genre.
Talking of bastard children Gud has the style of Old Man’s Child and Dimmu Borgirs’ earlier work, if you merged the split Sons of Satan Gather for Attack you’d get a scintilla of what makes this album distinct. Isvind apply their own effervescence to a tried and tested sound and embody the spirit of generations past brilliantly. Gud captures the spirit of millenial black metal expertly.
Without extracting any restyling from the captivating spirit of those preceding innovators of blackened metal, Gud although dedicated is dated in comparison to popular resolution, however true to its roots it is compelling from beginning to end.
7/10
