Review by Ben for Isengard - Vinterskugge (1994)
An intriguing yet certainly not painless trip through the evolution of Fenriz.
I can't say I'm much of a fan of folky black metal. The riffs are overly jolly, and the vocals can be very embarrassing if the person behind them are not exceptional. There’s something quite interesting about Vinterskugge though. For starters, it's three demos from different stages in the band's development combined into one long compilation. Secondly, there is a multitude of genre hopping going on here, with dark ambient, atmospheric black metal and even death metal also playing a role. Finally, it's all created by Fenriz, the drummer for cult black metal band Darkthrone.
Tracks 1 to 7 come from the 1993 demo Vandreren. By far the best produced tracks on the compilation, this demo treads more within the folk influenced black metal grounds than the other demos. Fenriz's clean vocals are ordinary to be honest and the bouncy riffs just don't interest me all that much. His black metal screams and riffs are much more effective in my opinion, but that could just be my personal preference towards the darker material. Gjennom Skogen til Blarjellene is a nice instrumental though that starts off with distorted guitars and finishes with atmospheric keyboards. In the Halls and Chambers of Stardust is another decent little instrumental, this time with more folk influenced instrumentation. When Fenriz dabbles in this sort of dark ambient material, he comes off a bit like Burzum, but never reaches that sort of quality. Ut I Vannets Dyp Hvor Morket is one of the better straight out black metal tracks on the compilation too, so there's quite a lot to enjoy on this section of the album, even if the folk material grates on me a fair bit.
Tracks 8 to 12 come from the 1989 demo Spectres Over Gorgoroth. These have a rawer production and are rather death metal in their approach. I guess that's not surprising at all since Darkthrone started off as a purely death metal project. The riffs are not bad at all and the vocals are quite cool and evil. There are only 5 tracks and the whole demo is over in under 12 minutes, but it's probably the most consistent part of Vinterskugge. I can't say I'd listen to this all that much due to the production, but it's worth checking out to hear the initial stages of Darkthrone's development, even if it was just Fenriz behind it all at this stage.
Finally, tracks 13 to 16 come from the 1991 demo Horizons. This material displays both directions that Fenriz would branch out with in the future. On the one hand, it shows the path that Darkthrone would take on A Blaze in the Northern Sky, letting go of the majority, but certainly not all, of the death metal riffs, and forging ahead with something very black. On the other hand, it unveils the first signs of the folk influence that Fenriz would utilize further in his Isengard work. The Fog is probably my favourite track on the compilation, being a brooding piece of work with blast beats and great venomous vocals. It truly is a sign of what was to come shortly afterwards and an important moment in the history of black metal. Storm of Evil changes tact immediately with pure folk metal complete with cleanly sung vocals and keyboards. I have to say the main riff of this track reminds me heavily of a Burzum track that would be released shortly after this demo. Bergtrollets Gravferd is the first dark ambient piece in Isengard's history and I'd have to say it's the best too, being a very dark and epic piece of work. Unfortunately, Our Lord Will Come finishes the demo, and compilation, with more crappy vocals, dodgy leads and simplistic riffs.
Overall, Vinterskugge is an intriguing compilation that clearly displays the evolution Fenriz went through in his early years and how his influences caused him to branch out into two very distinct entities. It's tough to listen to in one sitting though, mostly due to the varying quality of the material, but also due to the order of the demos not being chronological. The experience would have been better if it had started from the beginning and worked its way through to 1993. If you love death metal, black metal, folk metal and dark ambient, then I suggest you find this album and check it out.