But then nothing for 5 years, other than an instrumental digital-only EP and a single. But, as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait. And now on newly formed German label, Vesperian, and again produced/mixed by Arioch from Secrets of the Moon, I’m happy to report that The Nocturnes of Iswylm is indeed worth the wait, as the band continues on thier D & D inspired journey, and this time gets even more adventurous and confident.

As with the debut album, the band is still locked into 90s symphonic black metal with the usual suspects like Dimmu Borgir, Arcturus, Old Man’s Child, Abigor, and Emperor (heck, even the back panel of the album mirrors Emperor’s Nightside) as the base, and certainly at times, the development of the songs here mirrors Emperor’s growth from Into the Nightside Eclipse to Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk and IX Equilibrium, with shades of more progressive, controlled and adventurous song writing interplaying with the symphonic metal bombast.

Clear examples of this can be heard on “Saccharine Subjugation” and surprisingly restrained”Imperious Sanguine Eroticism”, where Otheyn Vermithrax delivers some Ihsahn-ish croons (which also appear on closer “The Ballad of a Fallen Star”).

But for the most part, the songs are classically inspired symphonic black metal, like “The Black Dragons of  Iswylm”, which has a pure mid-era Dimmu stomp or the Ancient – ish canter of “Echoes in the Vasts of Sequestration”. The more furious “Carnal Tapestries of Nailtorn Flesh” covers all the bases and inspirations, including a little thrashing Cradle of Filth, into the album’s most direct track.

And there may even be hints of power metal, just with harsh vocals – for example, the opener “The Taste of Immortal Blood”. That’s a power metal chorus right there.

As the rangy and varied 9 and a half minute closer “Ballad of a Fallen Star” wraps up the album, I’m left impressed, but I prefer the more classic keyboard style from the debut, and I’m still wishing the band would write those one or two genre or career-defining songs. All the songs are great, but they need that “Progenies of the Great Apocalypse”, or “Inno A Satana”, to cement their legacy a little more (I will say, “The Seer” from the last album is really close).

Hopefully, we won’t have to wait 5 years to get it on the all-important third album.

Don’t panic, it’s not way different, but certainly, if you played both releases side by side, you be challenged to determine if they were the same band, but also that’s in a good way. Where Galdrum was a more raw, primal style of black metal mixed with extended dungeon synth moments that were more Abigor meets Mortiis, Tales Of Othertime is a far more fleshed out, polished, and traditional symphonic black metal effort more akin to some more obvious peers like early Emperor, Borknagar, Arcturus, Dimmu Borgir, and Ancient. 

But this development is for the better as the new, sweeping, majestic and still triumphant output is downright epic. With a cleaner sound from a whole new producer/mix/master crew, the sound is bigger and more ‘traditionally’ second wave symphonic black metal, which is certainly a benefit. The songs are now full of more full fantasy-driven symphonic elements as well as some clean vocals (with hints of Garm/ICS Vortex) and some almost Bal-Sagoth-like narration/spoken words carrying this tale of othertime along and a brisk, rousing pace. The rangy songs all have a killer entertaining pace and gait mixing swirling blast beats and mid-paced moments to catch your breath.

9-minute opener “The Seer” sets the tone pretty well with a nice mix of swirling frosty blasts and regal marches, all layered with stirring keys. However, the album really hits its stride at its midpoint with the 11 minute “A Journey Through Storms” which has a lovely little mid-song break, and the album standout, “The Serpent’s Stone” which has an excellent array of frenzied riffs leads and epic bridges. Aptly named closer “Eternal Majesty Manifest” rounds out the album and might be my favorite track with the clarion of battle (always a favorite) to start and a killer melodic blast, some rousing vocal breaks, and a perfectly epic ending crescendo.

My only minor quibble is that the incredibly entertaining album is only really 4 songs, with “The Citadel” and “An Ode to Dragons” being short Summoning-y instrumentals. That said the 4 actual songs are all over 8 minutes, but I selfishly just wanted MORE. Also, while the classic art from 80s art maven Les Edwards is fine, it’s tough to beat the Ian Miller artwork from the EP.

Though only 4 songs and the fourth, “Lost in Mystic Woods and Cursed Hollows”, being a dungeon synth-y instrumental, the 3 songs are 6 -10 minutes respectively, so you get 30 minutes of damn good stuff here.

Other than the artwork, Orkblut is also a pretty solid musical comparison, ( and maybe France’s Abduction and Véhémence as well) as this is blistering, fantasy-based , melodic but raw black metal with swirling medieval keyboards and a little medieval chamber music/dungeon synth/monkish chants bits here and there.

10 minute opener “Glass Caverns of the Dragon Kings” starts with a little Mortiis (a definite influence on the band’s interludes and instrumental bits)-y jaunt before exploding with a blistering, icy cold blast that has Epoch of Unlight levels of percussive fury. The little mid-song acoustic sway and subsequent melodic blast a 6:50 is to die for, recalling “The Rising of Our Tribe” from Orkblut. The second track the 6 minute, “Lightning Frost”, start with a fucking rousing blast before settling into a more mid paced but no less stirring track.

The EPs best cut (though all of them are amazing), is another 10 minute number,  “Of Lore”, with a flutey/acoustic intro and not one, but two absolutely stunning riff; one about 5:30 in and the second after a short orchestral bridge around 7 and a half minutes in, and it’s one of y favorite melodic black metal/symphonic crescendos of the year. And yes, it ends with a war/battle sample … perfect.

Easily my favorite EPs/MLPs of 2020 so far, and I can’t wait to see what a hopefully forthcoming full-length delivers.