The long history of black metal is one that is rich with so many different bands that approach the style in so many different ways that you could pay tribute to so many of the greats one by one and be met with the task of creating over a hundred albums and still have tons to go through. Storm and Isengard is a band that doesn’t really get the credit or renown it really should, but it’s with their latest offering that Iku-Turso seeks to pay tribute to their greatness via imitation.

An album that’s born from imitation can often feel incredibly weak much like how many thrash bands emulate Slayer and such just a little too much to the point where we might as well just be listening to those original bands, and I truly did fear that would be the case here with Iku-Turso, but this still relatively fresh act proves themselves too good to fall for such a trap here. This quickly little EP not only pays great tribute to the folky black metal of Storm and Isengard but also a classy cover of Satyricon to make “Storm Over Isengard” a potent little treat that is a great homage to classic black metal with such potency that makes each song in this work incredibly tasty to sink your teeth into time and again. Whether it’s between the surprisingly catchy melodies or the damn good recreation of the work of Storm and Isengard, Iku-Turso has made a fun work here that is just as fun to listen to as it is a great display of respect for two bands that are all but key in the formation of black metal into what it has evolved into today. This is very much a work that I cannot help but suggest to any fan of the style looking for a nice morsel to eat right up as “Storm Over Isengard” is a damned good candidate in any scenario.

Like I said, works that are made in the same spirit as this can be misguided many times as they can easily result in a flat, meaningless listen that has no sort of depth to it whatsoever, but Iku-Turso dodges that at every turn for all the tracks that grace this EP despite how few there are. “Storm Over Isengard” proves to be something damned good to listen to over and over again as its potency never diminishes, and it only further showcases the talent that Iku-Turso has brought to the table for the third time in a row.

LISTEN to Iku-Turso on Bandcamp here.

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