Artist name: ISENNGARD

Music style: Gothic, dark, electronic and semi-organic synthesized anger and lonelines.

Famous Similar Artist(s): Ikon, Clan of Xymox, Love Like Blood

Artist Description: ISENNGARD is a mixture of several styles such as gothic, ethereal, dark, darkwave and industrial. The lyrics are focused on depressions, melancholy, sufferings, love and madness captured in metaphor. ISENNGARD's music is atmospherized by keyboards, industrial drums, electronic sequences, synthetizers and electric guitars that travel from melancholy to aggressiveness without reaching a saturation.

Musical influences: Sisters of Mercy. Love Like Blood, Diary of Dreams, Clan Of Xymox, Ikon, Dreadful Shadows, Bauhaus, The Cure

Artist History: ISENNGARD started as a solo act of Carlos Carrera in March 23, 1998. The darkness in ISENNGARD's music reflects the lonelyness of and imaginary creature, a sober image full of fear and coldness, which remains hopping to find a sense to his existence

Members: Carlos Carrera & Alfredo Castañeda

Press reviews: A very very welcome revival of the goth rock/electro-goth mix of the old days, coming from the unlikely spot of Guadalajara, Mexico (one of the more popular resort towns there to most people). There are those classic chainsaw guitars ripping out riffs that could even make the metalheads turn and take note, and then at the next turn painting an intricate metallic web with it's lower C chord textures. The vocals are surprisingly are completely in English, which is quite rare to see in the Mexican music scene, sung by vocals that are rather reminiscent of Italian goth-group Artica, very dry and appropriately sepulchral on top of the tense guitaring and ambient patterns in the back. A little bit of industrial, a little bit of Clan of Xymox-style keyboarding, that marvelous guitar playing, and the vocals all add up to one band that can stand up there with bands like Clan of Xymox, Artica, and.......well, not too many others (given that Corpus Delicti are gone and the rather cheesy but good London After Midnight are missing in action), really, in keeping the old school goth rock tradition alive and well. And for those disenchanted with the whole goth thing like I am, the music is refreshingly glam-free and emotional, just like the golden oldies I used to grow up on! And finally another goth band besides Artica that can play guitar, and not another glam goth band just beating out nu metal chords and their sloppy riffs! Some of the material, to actually compare and give you and idea of their sound, is basically somewhere between the late great X Mal Deutchland and post "Creatures" and "Notes From The Underground" era Clan of Xymox, with perhaps a pinch of circa "Sin Pecado" Moonspell. Also, as a side note, for those who have not gotten to check Mexico's incredible goth and industrial scene (I don't know about it's synthpop scene. Mexican death metal is utterly brutal though I will say that!), definitely give it a peek, it's soon going to be THE place to go for this type of music. The goth and industrial music coming from that region is so raw, so honest and a new twist of sincerity is in it, it revolutionizes the way one can think of music in general, both as a matter of expression and as a matter of social revolt and pride. With Hocico and Cenobita spearheading the industrial side of Mexico with other fine bands like Deus Es Machina (Machine God), Isenngard spearheads the movement with almost no other peer but Fernando Viaña (another amazing Mexican goth artist). No makeup and posing in this group, just sheer emotional goth rock that seems like it could well be a necessity for them once you hear the amount of emotion involved in this CD. This is goth rock the way bands like Joy Division intented it to be: as a necessary catharsis for one's self, not posturing. Every last note sung and played on this CD is meticulously planned and executed, with a bit of classical principle behind this already massively complex and elaborate mix. Favorites on this CD are very hard to pick, but to choose a couple I choose "A Lady's Craft" and "Eclipse". But overall, you can listen to this CD all the way through and still pick up something new on your next playing of it, like a piece of the atmosphere you didn't catch before in the keyboards. Hopefully next time around they will whip out some of those Spanish vocals, which would sound perfect on this CD. Highly recommended, and all this from an unsigned band (to the labels: start getting to it before you lose this one!)! Rating: 10 all the way. Reviewed by KlingKlangBedlam / ChainDLK.org

Instruments: Electric Guitars, Synthz, Keyboards & Programing

Album Names: Intentions (2000), Nothing (2002), Nothing Remix The Same (2003), Forgotten Intentions (2003)

Artist's CD Sales Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/isenngard/others

Web site & Contact Info: http://www.geocities.com/isenngard