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This is a sort of side-project featuring Daniel Bryntse, the vocalist of the superlative Isole. Partway through this I was thinking 'this kind of sounds like Isole', and when I checked the band roster I was like 'duh'. This is the debut for this band, and I certainly hope it is not the last I hear from them.

By Honour is like Isole, only more epic and with a lot of Viking/Pagan imagery in the lyrics. The riffing has more space, and actually, this is not as heavy as I was expecting, but it is really, really good. This is very Doomy, with a melancholic vibe enhanced by piano and the long instrumental passages. It also makes use of big, booming riffs that bring to mind Bathory's Twilight Of The Gods. The stamp of Bryntse's melodic sensibility is all over this album, with the grandiose, sorrowful guitar phrases and acoustic breaks that will be very familiar to anyone who has heard his work with Isole. His voice is in fine form as well, and the smooth, sad tones are an essential part of the music here. As always, he uses very few effects, and sounds like a person as opposed to a Pro Tools choir.

This album is very cool, like a blending of Isole with some Bathory and Mael Mordha, with all the epic sweep and melodic brilliance that implies. A marvelous surprise for fans of Epic Doom metal. Check it out.