Behind My Walls
You Are The Dead
Ashes Of Angels
Tearing My Life Away
As My Shield
Your Breed
The Vulture
Angels Are You With Me, Follow My Steps
Blood Testural
And You Still Are The Dead
Clean Cathedral Video Clip

I first heard the music of ISN with his release "Purgate my Stain" on the Staalplaat record label. Suitably impressed I sought out "Sacrosancts Bleed" and "Enter now the World" on the CMI label and was left slightly let down by them. It seemed to me that on these recordings, although great, ISN was like a football player with a niggling injury unable to give 100% to the cause. He just wasn’t firing on all cylinders that I expected.

With "Resurrection" subtitled "The Return of a King" ISN has come of age and released a barnstorming tour de force of sizzling and blazing black ambient music that you could fry an egg on it. The man is back with a vengeance. The first track ‘Behind the Walls’ starts with a slow methodical build up of heartbeats and bells chiming with distorted vocals whispering eerily in the forefront setting the scene for an uneasy experience for the listener. After this subdued start the second track ‘You are the Dead’ suddenly catapults you into a mass of thundering orchestral madness and demonic intoning voice whilst the drum patterns relentlessly pound away breaking down the last vestiges of resistance. Recovering from this aural assault track three ‘Ashes of Angels’ continues in the same vein with samples substituting the vocals and the classical flourishes crashing like a hurricane battering a coastline. Track four ‘Tearing my life Away’ introduces angelic choir like samples offsetting the doom ridden lyrics over a more restrained refrain. Track five ‘As my Shield’ opens with a crunching drum thrash that grows aggressively before slowly subsiding then gaining new impetus and overpowering all before it. I’ll not spoil the rest of the CD for you by detailing the remaining six tracks but suffice to say they will leave you awestruck at the imperious nature of their implantation. Cloaked in black on the front cover ISN has served up a recording so dark and foreboding that it should come with a health warning sticker on the front for those faint hearted amongst you. Never has textured black ambiance sounded so good or meaty.

With ‘Resurrection’ ISN has finally staked his claim to greatness that he deserves and it’s a genuine pleasure to welcome him back to full fitness. He shoots. He scores. Back of the net.

ANM