Isvind

 

The Norwegian scene in the 90s was so prolific that there are so many bands people often overlook or forget about. ISVIND is one such band. While they initially formed as Ice Wind in 1992, they existed with that name for a year before they changed to Isvind in '93. They only ever released one demo (The Call of the Ice Wind) as Ice Wind.

Here is their first demo in its entirety

1994 gave us the demo Herskerinnen

Setting out to create black metal "that consumes all life and extinguishes [it] forever", Isvind had a raw take on Norwegian black metal. The riffing on those early demos calls to mind Ulver or the rawer side of Darkthrone. As overlooked as they sometimes are, Isvind is a true classic Norwegian black metal band.

Shortly after the success of the 1994 demo Herskerinnen (see above), the band entered the studio to record some proper albums. This resulted in their self-titled 7-inch in 1995. A continuation of the rawness of their demos, this 7-inch was well-received by black metal fans.

From their 1996 full-length, this is "Lysningen I Skogen"

Following on the heels of the 7-inch, Isvind released their first full-length studio album, Dark Waters Stir. An album that stands up well next to the black metal works of Ulver or Darkthrone albums like Panzerfaust, Isvind established themselves as true Norwegian black metal with this release. "Lysningen I Skogen", above, is a great sample from that album.

Like many mid-tier bands in this time, Isvind did break up. They had just finished touring in support of Dark Waters when they called it a day in 1997. Luckily for black metal fans, they did re-form in the early 2000s and have put out several albums since, still in the raw Norwegian style. Hail Isvind!

Select Discography:

The Call of the Ice Wind (demo) (1992)

Nivelheimen (demo) (1993)

Herskerinnen (demo) (1994)

Rehearsal '95 (rehearsal demo) (1995)

Isvind 7" (1995)

Dark Waters Stir (full-length) (1996)

Next time: GRAND BELIAL'S KEY