It almost seems like a lifetime since Myrkur released her debut self-titled on Relapse- 10 years might as well be a century the way things change in music, but I still recall the weird and contentious debates around that record's cross-pollination of black metal, folk, and pop like it was yesterday. People can be very protective of the things they care about, and music is no exception, especially when you start mixing fruits and porridge- regardless of how delicious the results may be. Myrkur has since gone strictly folk, which suits her, but it leaves room for others to take the spotlight in her stead. I'm not saying that Japan's Isiliel is an exact match for the absentee Myrkur, but she indeed represents a compelling condensation point between many of the same sonic trends- although manifesting in a more heroic overall embodiment of their provocative virtues. On her debut 月虹創聖記, Isiliel dons the persona of a warrior-priestess, a triumphant pillar of dark, feminine strength- as sturdy as a mountain and twice as imposing. Representing here a deified personification of elemental forces, I have no doubt that if her (hypothetical, or actual, as the case may be) daughter were kidnapped by the lord of the underworld, she'd almost certainly be capable of storming the gates of hell and rescuing her offspring on her own, but would probably bring to bear 6 months of winter to blight the land afterward anyway, as a show of strength and a warning to any deviant daemon who might try to pull the same antics as the last chump. While she may appear like an icey demoness to her foes, hyperborean sleat is not her only, or even primary weapon, as Isiliel could effortlessly melt a glacier with the force and heat of her voice alone, meaning that whatever cold snap might be gripping your heart when you put on 月虹創聖記 has about a snowball's chance in hell of surviving until the final crescendo. Strength alone does not carry the day, though, as it's not simply the power of Isiliel performance that makes it remarkable but also its dexterity, as it deftly weaves between cutting glances of tremolo guitars, above galloping blast-beats, and around an outcropping of traditional instrumentation like an arrow guided by the preternatural-skill of a master archer, curving betwixt trees, rocks, and other natural obstructions in order to strike at the center of her enemies' breast. Verily, Isiliel could be your worst nightmare or your greatest ally; it all depends on how much due deference and adoration you bestow on this lady of snow and steel.
Isiliel rides on but one chariot and its name is Imperiet IV.
