Isengard was a solo project set up by Fenriz of Darkthrone in the late 1980’s which began more as a death metal project and evolved into a large mix of styles, incorporating elements of doom, rock, death, black metal and folk.
‘Høstmørke’, meaning Autumn Darkness, was the second Isengard album, (even though the debut, ‘Vinterskugge’ is a collection of sorts). It was released in 1995 and featured a continuation of Norwegian folk elements mixed with some doom, with all instruments once again performed by Fenriz himself, as well as the now-trademark vocal delivery. The latter part of the album also features a couple of black metal tracks which explore territory a bit more in line with Darkthrone, particularly the track ‘Total Death’. Høstmørke is also notable for featuring a couple of small guest appearances from Aldrahn (Thorns, ex Dødheimsgard) and Vicotnik of Dødheimsgard.
