Swedish Label Nordvis were focusing on their native scene especially in the past, but with some open-mindedness they are signing bands from other countries too, and that’s a good thing. Especially when thinking about their joint-venture with Bindrune, you might find some non-Swedish formations. Anyway, another name to add to this list is Izah. Izah are a Dutch collective, releasing their debut full length via Nordvis.
With Sistere, Izah bring four tracks that clock over seventy minutes. And they do impress with those four extremely lengthy pieces, which were produced, by the way, by ex-Textures’ Jochem Jacobs (The Lucifer Principle, In-Quest, Kingfisher Sky, Cirrha Niva, Devious etc.).
Sistere opens with Indefinite, which starts with a somewhat minimalistic introduction. After one minute and a half, the distant noises get overruled by slightly funky rhythms, rough growls and a truly cool drum pattern, and then, slowly, it turns into a majestic, massive Doom / Sludge-epic with quite some blackened and, at the same time, Post-Metal oriented details. And there we have it: the core of Izah’s raison d’être.
Actually, if I want to focus on this first piece only, you have the sludgy excerpts, some fabulous, even emotive Doom-laden passages, great moments of darkened Ambient, and -damn it makes me horny- also excerpts from old schooled Doom-Death oriented grandeur. And f*ck it, yes, we have heard it before, but you have to admit that it wasn’t always that attractive. I for myself am pretty convinced too by those noisy elements towards the end of this piece. Anyway, then comes Duality, which is pretty much the same in construction, but in essence it is much, much, MUCH more powerful. It’s like a sledgehammer sweetly composing a lullaby on a recently born child’s skull, a chainsaw trying to attract some chords out of his (or hers) bones, and recording aural screams while tearing the eye balls… No, I apologize for letting myself go, because this material isn’t necessarily meant to be ‘sick’; it’s just that the power and energy is at least as grandiose as it is merciless as in (early) ‘Kruger’ or ‘Zatokrev’. Also Alkerdeel, The Ocean, Cult Of Luna, Year Of No Light or Unkind might come to mind… With Finite Horizon, Izah trespasses the border with the, well, I think Metalcore / Modern Metal F*ck Rock thing, and even some Mathcore, but despite my allergy for such idiot expression of sonic emotions whatsoever, it does not completely bother me at all. Let’s consider it an experimental escape from narrow-mindedness, and accept it for what it is. And then, with Sistere, we have a symbiosis of everything that sort of passed the revue, including a harsh outroduction that truly fits to the whole concept, despite being extremely malignant and noisy.
Sistere is not the most ‘easy-listening’ record in years, at all, and it does need some listens for sure. But after a couple of times, you will notice the grandiose strength, the sublime crafts behind this album. Endurance is one thing, acceptance is another one…