Band:	Isor
Album:	Schwärze
Style:	Dark Ambient, Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	November 16, 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. A Ritual Ro Unveil A Blackened Soul
02. Die Unreine Lehre Aller Gottlosen Machenschaften
03. The Filling Of An Empty Vessel
04. A Rare Dawn
05. Schwärze
06. Dwellers Of Depths
07. Kwarzar
08. Resurgence (An Exorcism)

Schwärze means darkness, and Isor is a dark ambient project; let's see where this leads us.

Isor (not to be confused with the Welsh hardcore group Isor) is a German one-man atmospheric/ambient black metal project that was founded back in 2017. The sole member who simply goes by the name 'Isor' originally came up with the idea behind the project as a musical expression for coping with his unprocessed emotions. The music is presented in a way in which the darkness can be unleashed onto its listeners from within. Seven years following the project's formation comes its fourth full-length offering Schwärze; just as the album title is fitting, so is the opening song's title, "A Ritual To Unveil A Blackened Soul", as it seems to accomplish this goal.

Schwärze is a dark suffering journey in which one's emotions can become easily overwhelmed from the torture. With experimentation of the highest order, and intriguing elements brimming throughout, Isor manages to create an ambience that's vivid and powerful. "Die Unreine Lehre Aller Gottlosen Machenschaften" features hypnotic tribal drum beats, eerie chants, and creepy sound effects, as if a dark sinister ritual is starting to take shape, whereas "The Filling Of An Empty Vessel" ventures more into treacherous cosmic soundscapes. Later, songs like "Dwellers Of Depths" unleash a more hellish subterranean environment.

Electronics are a main driving force behind the composition, with guitars mostly in drone mode, occasionally catching you off guard with blackened tremolo attacks. The vocals are merely a small portion of the structural puzzle, as the desperate howls and shrieks are hidden in the depths behind the music. The drumming, however, is a clear standout feature throughout, varying from mesmerizing stylish drum patterns to furious blast beats, guiding the rhythm where necessary.

Schwärze is the result of a musician tinkering and experimenting with electronics and blackened instrumentation to create something deep, powerful, and personal. The final result is quite remarkable, offering an insight into a tortured mind while unleashing the listener's own inner demons as well. The album's approach reminds me very much of the great 70s Krautrock scene, in which top quality musicians thrived through tinkering and experimenting. This era created some of the finest, darkest, and most powerful music that's ever been unleashed; while I'm not putting Isor in the same bracket as the legends of that time, Schwärze sends a similar message of what can be achieved when one is in the right mind and free to experiment and tinker at will.