Israthoum is another example of those bands that have roamed the earth for over
20 years (though under a different name in the beginning) yet I had
never before heard of them. It seems that they haven't garnered much
of attention during the years but then again, Black Poison and Shared
Wounds is only their second full-length.
In spite of their age, what Israthoum plays here is a rather modern type
of black metal. But no worries, they've kept it raw and raucous
nonetheless. When the first riffs of "Necromancer's Fugue"
roll in I'm instantly reminded of Sardonic Wrath era Darkthrone, but
when the album is considered as a whole, it isn't a truly fitting
comparison. This is because Israthoum tends to play in a more
twisting and adventurous manner: the sudden changes of rhythms, crazy
speeds and some surprising melodies – see the high-note melancholy
of "The Presence, the Baying", the infernality of "Burning
the Sephiroth" and the abyssal tunes of "Procession of
Demented" – are the kind of elements that seperate Israthoum
from being a totally uncompromising piece of underground black metal.
The core elements are indeed simple here, but the little touches of
innovation give the album even a better taste. Still, it would be
misguiding to say that Black Poison and Shared Wounds was anything
spectacular. It is not as if I'd yearn to listen to this record, and
I'm pretty sure that people wouldn't miss anything truly big if they
didn't check this one out. But as a little snack of well-played black
metal with a good production, this does its job very well. Repeated
listens have revealed that there's a real heap of quality in here so
that I'm actually going to give it a half star more than what I was
originally planning. Bonus points for the sweet, detailed artwork.
3.5 / 5
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