Album Review: Isceald – Zagubiony w Bezkresi

Band: Isceald
Album: Zagubiony w Bezkresi
Label: Werewolf Promotion
Release date: March 20th, 2025
Country: Poland
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording

Album Review: Isceald – Zagubiony w Bezkresi via Werewolf Promotion by #Ioana

Well, this may just be the album that gets me out of the monstrous music slump I’ve been in for the past month. After an array of fairly disappointing albums and several horrid ones, Isceald’s latest effort comes as a light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel. Not being familiar with this band’s music, I came across this record on accident, while I was looking through the latest releases of the labels I keep up with. I admit that the album cover was the factor that got me intrigued, as it reminded me of another project of Polish origin, Nyctophilia.

All of this being said, there is no doubt that Zagubiony w Bezkresi is a masterclass in atmosphere crafting. From the intro track alone, it is obvious that each sound played on the album serves the purpose of immersing the listener into the music, to the point where one might get lost in it, as it happened in my case. Its strongest point in that regard, is its capacity to merge contrasting emotions in a way that makes them shine, instead of cancelling eachother out. There is hope as much as there is nihilism, there is hatred and there is passion, all distilled into a whirlwind of tremolo picked riffs, screeches and blastbeats, all shrouded in a drapery of gentle synth passages.

Musically speaking, the record is comprised out of 4 main musical layers: the synth, the drums and bass, the guitar work and finally the vocal performance. The base is mostly built around the use of dungeon-synth style emptiness, which offers the album a fantastical, almost whimsical touch. Although it may seem like a strange choice for a more or less abrasive record, Isceald makes it work, given that it helps further emphasize that unique atmosphere I was mentioning a few paragraphs ago. Given the fairly high range in which it is played, the sensation of wonder and perhaps hope is certain to make an apparition. This phenomenon can be observed on the track “Wędrówka”, where, the repeating two note synth idea helps bring out a feeling similar to the amazement one may experience in nature. This idea is expanded upon further in songs such as the title track.

Coming up next, there is the drumming and the bass. When it comes to usage, the bass is the least obvious instrument, being utilized mostly to bring out the guitar melodies and to help create more depth in the composition. On the other hand, the drumming takes on a very important position, fact made clear by the dynamism of the record. I can say that this is a rather unique approach in atmospheric black metal, but it is not unheard of, and, from my point of view, it is a great fit for this album. The diverse rhythms and patterns scattered throughout the songs create interest and tension add character to the music, creating that “force of nature” quality possessed by Isceald’s music.

The guitar work is one of the aspects that I particularly enjoyed about this record. I found myself mesmerized by both their energy and creativity, both aspects being rather hard to miss at a first listen. Most of the elements that give Zagubiony w Bezkresi its complexity can be missed by a less attentive listener, but once you notice them, you’ll be looking for them in every song, at every listen. The balance between the simple main riffs and the rich lead melodies woven together with them is truly something to behold, acting as another dimension where the dialogue between light and darkness can exist in the record. Often the guitars will have melodies that go completely against those established by the synth, driving that point home even further, and acting as the main element of grit, along with the vocals and the production.

The vocal performance can be simply described as unsophisticated, yet undoubtedly expressive. It is a clear example of the “less is more” approach, and, in the case of Isceald, this works greatly to their advantage. That is not to say that the technique and execution are boring, such thoughts are far from me. Essentially, its expressive nature wouldn’t have had the impact it has if the technique had been stranger or less straight forward. Sometimes there is no need for experimentation, only for a capable vocalist looking to deliver a certain kind of emotion or message. As I said before, the vocals are one of the elements that add harshness to the record, along with the guitars. This is possible both due to the technique involved and the thin layer of distortion added over them, a trademark of records on the raw side.

Lastly, Isceald’s Zagubiony w Bezkresi is not the kind of record that one would go to when looking for music that is experimental or extremely unique. What it provides, however, is an emotionally driven, immersive experience which proves that sometimes all you need is a sense of songwriting and a mood to create a great piece of music. Go check it out, you’ll be surprised by it. 9/10

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9/10  Epic Storm
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