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Battle Scarred

from Shieldbrother by Isenmor

/
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      $1 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Pressed CD with full color booklet and "Saxon Shore" bonus track remastered by Dan Swanö!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Shieldbrother via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Pressed CD with full color booklet and "Saxon Shore" bonus track remastered by Dan Swanö! Plus a 2"x4" (5cm x 10cm) Isenmor patch, two Isenmor guitar picks (one standard, one Jazz III size), an 11"x17" (28cm x 43cm) Shieldbrother poster*, and a 1.5" (4cm) diameter Isenmor button.

    *poster may be folded for shipping

    Includes unlimited streaming of Shieldbrother via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days

      $30 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Pressed CD with full color booklet and "Saxon Shore" bonus track remastered by Dan Swanö! Plus "Shieldbrother" artwork T-Shirt!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Shieldbrother via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days

      $32 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Pressed CD with full color booklet and "Saxon Shore" bonus track remastered by Dan Swanö! Plus a Shieldbrother album artwork T-Shirt, a 2"x4" (5cm x 10cm) Isenmor patch, two Isenmor guitar picks (one standard, one Jazz III size), an 11"x17" (28cm x 43cm) Shieldbrother poster*, and a 1.5" (4cm) diameter Isenmor button.

    *poster may be folded for shipping

    Includes unlimited streaming of Shieldbrother via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days

      $45 USD or more 

     

about

In the pre-modern Germanic cultures (and really much of the world over), there existed a long tradition of heroic poetry expounding the glory to be won in war. Tales of strong warriors triumphing over their enemies again and again, the riches and praise they earned through their strength of arms. While glorifying war and warriors was certainly a major subject of this literary tradition, it wasn’t quite as single minded as modern popular conception might have it. These stories were not without concepts of the negative aspects of war and violence. Poems such as Deor and Eardstapa focus on loss, and epics such as Beowulf are not without tragedy. Many of these stories re-entered popular consciousness during the 19th century, often being popularized along with the spread of ideas of romantic nationalism. The positive militaristic aspects of the literary tradition was of even greater focus for those spreading it to make the case for concepts of national identity and folkish struggle. The end result of these nationalistic movements were part of what led to the carnage of the world wars in the 20th century, conflicts that made the ugly side of war undeniable. While nationalistic ideals inspired millions of young men to fight for their countries, of those who did come many were mentally broken from the experience. From these conflicts the recognition of mental conditions caused by war emerged; shell shock, battle fatigue, now known as post traumatic stress disorder. While it is perhaps the particular brutality of modern industrialized conflict that made these conditions more prominent or severe, it is not entirely unattested in historical records before the 20th century, and that even in the dark ages men were haunted, or even entirely broken, by their experiences with violence.

lyrics

Childhood friends both starved for glory
Took whale roads to make our names
Tales of war, we’d tell ourselves
Would earn us all the maidens’ praise
Armed well with our swords and youth
We charged headlong into the fray
But our tales will not carry on
The Gray One’s ladies took my friend that day

Sing the tales of war
Sing that piper’s tune
Let the dooming lies resound
Into young and naive minds
Glory of the war horns’ sound
Leave the horrors they will find

Stunned, I watched the earthgrip take him
Dreams dashed on that distant shore
Mud turned umber, blade in hand
I charged into the deafening roar
A slavering beast, a weeping child
With tears in eyes, I killed and maimed
His dying face still etched in my mind
A tort’ring specter that shall never fade

Sing the tales of war
Sing that piper’s tune
Let the dooming lies resound
Into young and naive minds
Glory of the war horns’ sound
Buried horrors left for them to find

Blade brings forth a spray of blood
Or did that just come from my cup?
In a deep well of the mind’s poison
The memories I cannot crush
Liegemen brag of their past battles
Threads pull at my sanity
My facade cracks, curse the gods
I’ve lived the “glory”, so please tell me

Why can’t I leave from this hell?
No relief, I can never leave this fight
Can’t break free from this spell
Endless fog, will I ever see the light?

Sing the tales of war
Sing that piper’s tune
Let the dooming lies resound
Into young and naive minds
Glory of the war horns sound
Leave the horrors they will find
They will find

credits

from Shieldbrother, released October 9, 2020

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about

Isenmor Baltimore, Maryland

ISENMOR is dual-violin-fronted Gewyrdelic Folc Metal. Combining elements of folk metal greats ENSIFERUM, HEIDEVOLK, ELUVEITIE, FALKENBACH, and TÝR, ISENMOR fuses the heart of the Old World with the spirit of those who sought out new shores.

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