Iskandr, the enigmatic heathen black metal project by creator O, returns in the autumn of the year MMXXI with their third full-length album. In two albums and two EP’s spread out between MMXVI and now, the project has seen an interesting arc of development from spacious atmospheres and regal solitude towards both a more battle hardened aggression as well as elaborate acoustic instrumentation. The new album “Vergezicht” not only delivers on what these earlier releases promised but further elevates Iskandr into higher planes of compositional complexity.
Utilising a variety of electric and acoustic instruments – as well as a wide array of vocal techniques – the sound of Iskandr has ventured further into realms of monumental sonic architecture. The fruitful collaboration between O’s musical direction and engineering, and M. Koop’s foundational drumming, provides a degree of clarity and forcefulness to the record that goes well beyond anything put out under the Haeresis Noviomagi banners until now. The regal triumphalism of its MMXVIII predecessor “Euprosopon” is further expanded upon, yielding six hymns chronicling stories of heroic resistance, deceit and regeneration.