Words by Russ Skelchy
How do you categorize a band that doesn’t want to be categorized? You don’t. Isenordal, a six-piece band from Seattle, have spent the last ten years never easily fitting into any genre box and likely never will. Self-described as a type of funeral doom band, their sound also encompasses atmospheric neofolk that mixes in equal parts of fast tremolo-riffing black metal. Any way you describe it, Isenordal brings an emotionally charged vibrant energy to their recordings and live performances that draws fans of disparate genres.
Isenordal’s latest album Requiem for Eirênê (released 8 March 2024 on Prophecy Productions) takes their crushingly raw yet beautiful sound to new levels. Tracks such as “A Moment Approaches Eternity” recall the best moments of funeral doom (think of hypnotic organ drones, soaring minimal lead guitar solos, and thumping repetitive percussion) and adds rich melodies played on viola. What further sets Isenordal apart is the distinctive vocal interplay between the group’s lead singers—guitarist Kerry Hall’s deep throaty growls juxtapose yet sync well with Eva Vonne’s clear, harmonious singing, as both voices pierce through the band’s dense atmospheric heaviness.
Isenordal completed their 2024 West Coast tour in the charming coastal California towns of Santa Cruz (3/21) and Atascadero (3/22) and will play their official album release party on Saturday 4/6 at Seattle’s Central Saloon with NIXIL and Melancholia opening…