Seven Years of Famine is the latest release on Season of Mist for Swedish gothic metal act Order of Isaz. About four years in the making, Seven Years of Famine features the current line-up of ex-Tiamat member Johnny Hagel (bass), Tobias Sidegård ( vocals & guitar), Anders Bentell (drums), and Magnus Naess (guitar). Not surprisingly there are plenty of nods to vintage Tiamat here, as well as The Sisters of Mercy and Fields of the Nephilim, so look for moody soundscapes, heavy riffs, and melancholy melodies throughout the album. "The Blackened Flame" is one of the more upbeat tracks, and contains some nice hooks, while the more somber pieces, such as "Screeching Owl", "The Coalesce", "Dancing Shadows", and "Umbra Sombra" plod along with no shortage of emotion thanks to Sidegård's yearning, semi-operatic vocals, a smattering of keyboards, and the occasional female backing vocal. To be honest, I'm not digging Sidegård's vocals on many of these tunes, as he's just a bit over the top at times where his singing overshadows the music. That being said, his style does fit the mournful nature of these songs, and he's quite engaging on the cover of Dead Can Dance's "Spirit", a tune that fits in great among these other gothic tinged tracks. Overall Seven Years of Famine is a very solid gothic metal album from Order of Isaz that will be well worth the wait for their fans, and if you love this type of stuff and haven't checked out this band yet, this one should be on your radar.
Track Listing
1. The Coalesce
2. The Blackened Flame
3. Screeching Owl
4. Dancing Shadows
5. Drowning
6. Umbra Sombra
7. Father Death
8. Spirit (Dead Can Dance cover)
9. Dying Star
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