Stormkeep’s dungeon is open once again.
Featuring Otheyn Vermithrax (guitar/vocals/keyboards/drums, Blood Incantation, Lykotonon, Wayfarer), Nebula Husk (bass, Lykotonon, Wayfarer), Apokteino (guitar, Lykotonon, Wayfarer), and Lord Dahthar (keyboards), the mysterious American band returns in 2026 with the support of label Vesperian for the release of their second album, The Nocturnes of Iswylm.
Andrea Morgan (Exulansis, Omens, The Keening, ex-Megaton Leviathan) recorded the violins and cellos.
The Taste of Immortal Blood opens with sounds that are already theatrical and unsettling, though for the moment quite gentle compared to the darkness that will quickly set in once the distortion kicks in, itself complemented by furious screams. The band hasn’t lost its touch and delivers hypnotic yet extremely aggressive Black metal, at times nuanced by a few touches of keyboards and intoxicating choirs that eventually take over before a moment of hesitation, but the torrent of fury resurfaces to lead us to The Black Dragons of Iswylm, where the tone is immediately more martial. The uncompromising accelerations reinforce this cold, commanding edge that fits perfectly with the band’s fantasy-oriented aesthetic, one that doesn’t skimp on leads and atmospheric sections to provide balance, then rage returns in full force with Saccharine Subjugation, sweeping us into the dark limbo. A few solos bring us back to reality from time to time, while the choruses draw us into the mystery, leading up to a much more ethereal finale that allows us to catch our breath before Imperious Sanguine Eroticism takes over with a far more haunting approach. The slow pace easily seeps into our minds, letting the clean vocals bring a mystical air while the screams remind us of the surrounding shadows, themselves complemented by misty harmonics before a very gentle finale, followed by Echoes in the Vasts of Sequestration, which immediately returns to its heavy tones before offering us a torrent of piercing sounds courtesy of the guitars. The track is interwoven with soaring keyboard layers that maintain the oppressive atmosphere while lending it an epic touch, reinforced by the vocal parts, but Carnal Tapestries of Nailtorn Flesh quickly takes over, offering a blend of anxiety and crystalline tones before the rhythm section strikes in turn. Though also very short, the track pulls out all the stops to transport us into its world, oscillating between violence and more majestic elements, before giving way to Ballad of a Fallen Star, the final track, which is by far the longest and takes the time to push its dreamlike atmosphere to the extreme, ranging from the saturation of the most impure Black Metal to Folk-tinged acoustic influences that reinforce one another and harmonize in grandiose symphonic passages like the finale.
While Stormkeep had already made a big splash in the Black Metal scene with their debut album, The Nocturnes of Iswylm takes the concept even further with an approach that is at times raw, at times majestic, but always epic. The album is a true treasure for anyone who takes the time to explore it.
95/100