Album Reviews : Bane of Isildur – Stormlords

“Honour,
Bound to Battle,
We ride”

The sheer ‘epicness’ that is infused within Bane of Isildur’s sound is testament no doubt to their range of musical influences. I have listened to their debut EP from 2006 countless times, never tiring of their triumphant sounds, and this new CD titled Stormlords, is a continuation from this line of musical thought.

While the four tracks on Stormlords don’t have a very wide range in terms of style, what they do capture is a melodic underpinning in this music that is fundamentally death metal. The sweeping melodic guitar melodies and chugging death metal rhythm passages form the hooks in each individual song and keeps me continually interested in the band.

This triumphant death metal sound, closely related to the Viking/nature sounds of Amon Amarth, Immortal and early Enslaved, always provides a certain atmosphere. It’s a sense that you’ve been taken to another world where you can get fully into the moment and release your inhibitions. In Bane’s case, it is the vocals that provide this. They’ve always lent an impressive aspect to the music through their powerful deep growls, which, even in this hastily mixed recording, stand out among the pack.

While Stormlords offers only mild creativity, it does offer genuine atmospheric death metal that many will enjoy. It is a solid follow-up release to their 2006 EP, but lets face it, a full length is what we all want, to see if the band can keep our attention over 40+ minutes. 8/10

Band: Bane of Isildur
Album: Stormlords
Year: 2009
Genre: Triumphant Death Metal
Label: Self Released
Origin: Sydney, Australia
http://www.myspace.com/baneofisildur

Track listing:
1. Last Alliance
2. 1066
3. Furious Hunt
4. Of Crimson and Cold Steel (Reviewer’s Choice)