Isolert – No Hope, No Light… Only Death

Sure, Isolert might have only existed for a single year and sure, their debut album might only have a running total consisting of just above thirty minutes, divided across six tracks and an intro. But damn it, these four Greeks have really been doing their homework. Now, I am not going to try and convince you that No Hope, No Light… Only Death is the pinnacle of nineties Black Metal returned; But they have definitely taken quite a few lessons from their (primarily) Norwegian predecessors, fused their traditions with thoughts and ideas of their own and succesfully brought the newly created sound ahead two decades in time. It is clear to an eager listener to hear where they come from. Yet their chosen path have taken them somewhere new (albeit not entirely unknown). All in all, No Hope, No Light… Only Death is an excellent example of what modern Black Metal can and should sound like. Sure, I miss the gruff, low-tech recordings of the past. Sure, I like the more aggressive type of Black Metal. But at the same time I cannot deny that the seamless, powerful and downright efficient approach Isolert has taken towards their music has thrown off some very good results. My personal favourite is the track ”Frozen Mist”, which the can has cleverly hidden as the second-to-last track on this, their first ever full-length. And while it is only a mere three minutes (relatively short when compared to the tracks surrounding it on the album), it does a great job in showing off what the band is capable off and exactly how high an amount of energy and dedication they bring to bare. Which is, evidently, quite a lot. For proof, see the link below.

www.facebook.com/Isolert/