Blades clash and spells are cast across the symphonic black metal battlefield on Stormkeep‘s The Nocturnes of Iswylm.
Release date: June 12, 2026 | Vesperian | Bandcamp | Instagram
It’s an undeniable fact: black metal and fantasy go together like bread and butter. Ever since the second wave expanded the genres topics beyond filth and evil, bands have been conjuring new musical backdrops for all sorts of fantastical worlds. Tolkein’s shadow reigns supreme, of course, from borrowed names to bands like Summoning or Emyn Muil existing almost entirely within Middle Earth. Then you have those bands who go a little deeper, such as Caladan Brood leaning into the Malazan Book of the Fallen series or Bloody Valkyria mining the lore of Elden Ring. But personally, I always have a soft spot for bands that, like scene legends Immortal and their invented kingdom of Blashyrkh, just say ‘screw it‘ and make up their own fantasy world.
On that note, we arrive in the lands of Elda and Iswylm to witness the glory of Stormkeep‘s The Nocturnes of Iswlym. Hailing from the snowy peaks of Denver, Colorado and drawing their strength from legions reaching from the Western deserts (Wayfarer) to the very cosmos above (Blood Incantation), Stormkeep has been quietly and deliberately crafting hymns to their fantasy realms for nigh on a decade now, but so far my only encounter has been their debut album Tales of Othertime. Granted, that album was a glorious storm of symphonic, melodic black metal that shook the foundations of many a best of 2021 list for my metal brethren.
Five years hence, Stormkeep rises again to test their mettle in the symphonic black metal world. And despite being faced with foes both new (Worm) and ancient (Dimmu Borgir), several meetings with The Nocturnes of Iswlym have brought me to believe that Stormkeep‘s steel shines brightest thus far. Now, Stormkeep‘s sound isn’t the most unique weapon on the battlefield. Drawing strategies from the old ways of luminaries such as Emperor and the aforementioned Dimmu Borgir, The Nocturnes of Iswlym strikes a noble balance between the elegant precision and fury of the former with the sweeping grandeur of the latters golden days. As is often the case in these realms, genuine songwriting talent is where a band carves out their title, and Stormkeep has that in spades.
The Nocturnes of Iswylm wastes no time entering the fray at full force with “The Taste of Immortal Blood”. Across its seven minutes, this opening track lays bare the arsenal at Stormkeep‘s disposal; the scything riff work, dramatic sweeps of keyboard and synth, thundering drums, and harsh shrieks balanced against resonant cleans underpinning a genuinely rousing chorus. The back end of the song even reveals some genuine guitar heroics by way of an elegant solo that calls to mind other modern symphonic black metal monarchs like Moonlight Sorcery or, again, Worm (though not as flashy and shred-laden). One of the keys of Stormkeep‘s magic, I must note, is that they don’t fall into the treacherous trap of letting the synths overwhelm the guitars, knowing that the strings draw blood the fastest in metal and keeping the keyboards in reserve for support and the occasional lull in intensity.
The further one delves into The Nocturnes of Iswylm, the more new tricks emerge. “The Black Dragons of Iswylm”, and later “Echoes in the Vasts of Sequestration” and leadoff single “Carnal Tapestries of Nailtorn Flesh” hew towards a more traditionalist, savage approach to the genre, calling in subtle support from some more thrash and death metal subtext when necessary. “Saccharine Subjugation” stakes its place with a more elegant approach, building to a genuinely beautiful finale with some soaring guitar. Meanwhile, “Imperious Sanguine Eroticism” almost feels gothic with its clean-sung onset and dense keyboard work, and I did debate whether it recalled the finer moments of Cradle of Filth or if it’s just how the songs name feels exactly like something that vampiric horde would turn out. I especially appreciated the acoustics woven into the song’s closing stretches, a more humble touch to a grandiose track. Every blow dealt across The Nocturnes of Iswlym culminates in the closing coup de grâce that is “Ballad of a Fallen Star”, where Stormkeep melds all their powers into one moving, glorious closer.
No element of The Nocturnes of Iswylm conspires against the album’s quality, but I will admit I couldn’t swear my allegiance at first listen. The album isn’t abundant in earworms, and I’ll admit the clean vocals didn’t immediately wow me the same way that someone like ICS Vortex would manage the first time around. But overtime, my gripes thawed, the enrapturing atmosphere of the album took hold, and the new details that came to light every time I revisited this tome slowly granted me additional layers of appreciation at each spin. Sonically, the album strikes an excellent balance between grit and clarity, hiding intricacies while never just becoming a muddled tumult. The performances are universally excellent, the band has charmingly leaned into that classic black metal look for their photos, and the album art is exactly what one might imagine from this kind of fantasy (wizards, black dragons, a bare-chested sorceress, typical Franzetta-inspired fare). It creates a cumulative spell that guarantees that Stormkeep feels totally earnest in their efforts while winking towards the cheesy fun that is sorely lacking from many bands of this ilk.
The Nocturnes of Iswylm was a genuine treasure trove to delve into, and well-timed as well. Falling right alongside rewatching the Lord of the Rings movies and working my way through the ominous chapters of Between Two Fires, Stormkeep gave me another artistic avenue to indulge my resurging interest in fantasy, and gave me some damn fine black metal to boot. It may not be the most immediate album, nor is it the most unique take on black metal one will hear this year, but Stormkeep has easily won my affection over other bands’ recent attempts to enter the symphonic black metal firmament. Give The Nocturnes of Iswlym some time to cast its spell on you, and if you’re a dedicated pupil of the genre, you’ll likely be in Stormkeep‘s thrall in no time. Hail!
