One of the things I love about black metal is how every corner of the world, no matter how remote, seems to have at least one maladjusted discontent who’s really into the genre. Now Trenton, NJ isn’t exactly rural Afghanistan, but it’s not exactly known as a hotbed of black metal either, as say Oslo and Bergen, Norway are, which makes Immolith a nice addition to the USBM scene.
The songs on Storm Dragon draw heavily from the Norwegians, especially Gorgoroth, whose rocking approach Immolith have taken to heart. It’s a good thing, as bands that get stuck in blast-beat mode tend to get boring after four songs and, while there are plenty of blast beats to be had here, songs like “The Ghost Tower of Inverness” and “Hymns to the Countess” make good use of tempo changes to keep things interesting. The title track, in particular, blends the tempo changes with some stellar medieval lead guitar for a truly dramatic performance. Throughout, band leader Isiamon‘s vocals recall the distant snarl of Emperor‘s Ihsahn on Wrath of the Tyrant.
Immolith may not be pushing boundaries with their Scandinavian-style black metal but, with solid songs and a genuine affection for the genre, they make a worthy adversary to the masses.
