Ischemic

2021 is as good a year as any for a statement of personal intent. A time to take stock and declare our presence to the world. This is the subtext I’m reading into Ischemic’s self-titled second LP in any case. The fact that it’s self-titled implies a clarity of purpose, a degree of confidence in the music presented on the album that, as it turns out, is entirely warranted. There is a compelling purity to the earthy blackened doom metal on display here. The music itself hits many familiar touchstones of the style, but Ischemic approach it with a stripped back, unfurnished sound that speaks of a degree of confidence in the raw musicality that greets our ears.

The production is warm and unpretentious. No excessive reverb has been applied to any of the instruments. The guitar tone is roomy and intimate, eschewing the chasmic obsessions of so many others operating in this field. The same could be said for the drums, which cut strongly through the mix despite the rehearsal room aesthetic. The performance itself is straightforward but filled with character, swinging from the rigid rhythmic remits of metal to the looser grooves of bluesy stoner doom with ease. They also do a good job of navigating the other instruments through the depressed tempos with a degree of showmanship, keeping things refreshed and the listener engaged without detracting from the delicate tension of the droning riffs.

The whole thing could almost be called relaxing in a dank sort of way were it not for Isa’s ungodly vocal performance. She makes full use of the entire vocal range at her disposal, with guttural death growls and pained high-pitched shrieks jumping out of the speakers, and everything in between these poles carried through with confidence. There is an obvious degree of control behind even the most passionate outbursts however, with no note sustained past its welcome. Speaking of sustain, Isa is also able to hold notes for a frighteningly lengthy period, seemingly regardless of where they land in the vocal register.

The music itself hangs on a modest concoction of classic blackened doom riffs, usually kept at a slow, plodding march, but these are occasionally broken up by blast-beat segments that still manage to retain the downbeat, drab quality of the overall work. Despite the overt glumness of ‘Ischemic’ the music carries within it many simple joys beneath this veneer. There is a wholesome pleasure to watching the elegant melodies unravel and give way to droning, sustained doom chords or harsh but brief moments of dissonance in a manor similar to early My Dying Bride. There is an unvarnished charm to Ischemic’s approach to composition. Their insistence on having nowhere to hide in terms of studio trickery or novel instrumentation allows the music to shine by virtue of traditional talking points such as quality riffing, creative rhythmic play, and unbridled passion.

Each track is a lengthy journey of multifaceted moods and intensities despite the modesty of the actual arrangements. But it’s the album’s closer ‘Scattering Garden’ that sees Ischemic really spread their wings and explore the epic corners of their compositional chops. This is where delicate clean guitar arpeggios are contrasted with achingly slow yet malevolently aggressive blackened doom, and the guitars take on a percussive quality in unison with the drums, only for swirling and tense lead melodies to navigate and challenge the slow plod of the rhythm section. And as ever, the vocals lay down a marker at the limits of raw human expression. All these disparate moving parts come together to round off a work that transcends the simple DIY aesthetics that it apparently arose from, reaching for artistry with a truly lasting resonance.

Originally published at Hate Meditations