ISATHA is a Folk Metal band out of Budapest, Hungary. They formed in 2010 and have one EP and two full-length albums under their moniker. The second of those LPs, "From Here to Beyond," was released January 21, 2021. Their lineup is extensive, with eight permanent members and, on this album, one guest. Their past members are in the double digits. Okay, well, ten plus a live vocalist, so 11. That's double digits. I'm sticking to it.

Their take on Folk is fairly interesting with harsh, guttural male vocals and clean, soaring female vocals. The tempo is mostly aggressive, and the riffs distorted, with synth and flute providing fills and sing-song melodies as well as fluid undercurrents. As with most Folk Metal there is the submediant scale which gives it a pirate vibe and sounds a bit like Johnny Depp at a Renaissance fest might look.

With that said, ISATHA is at their best when they veer away from the overly Folkish styling. I guess the problem is that while they sometimes go in this direction - they are much more Extreme than most Folk bands dare - they always find their way back to that lilting raised sixth. Some might find that refreshing, I clearly don't . . . but they are a Folk Metal band, and you can't fault them for sticking to their roots, so I should just shut the hell up.

With that said, I did find several tracks very compelling. "Farewell (Outro)" is incredible. It's solid acoustic Folk with no Metal except maybe in spirit. The field recording of wind and storms add a misty ambiance, and the echo chamber, layered female vocals are haunting and lovely all at once. "Tavaszi Szél" (trans: Spring wind) is another strong track, as is "Nature Arise." "Feast with the Fallen" is also solid. It was recorded in 2019 and is cited by the band as a farewell to vocalist Judit Éva Dauda.

The album features nine tracks, though two are short instrumentals (an intro and an interlude). In total, the album clocks out at just over 35 minutes. Lyrically the seven tracks with vocals are all about nature and the old ways with a touch of cosmic meditation. Some of tracks are in Hungarian which adds to the Folkish vibe. I don't know, Hungarian just sounds earthy and grounded and all naturefied to me. Yep, new word.

For returning ISATHA fans, "From Here to Beyond" is far superior to their first album, though that might just be me. The production levels are much higher and the tunage is several levels more visceral. Their EP, released in 2018, features mostly as a prelude to this, their latest album, though it does have a re-recording of "A vérvörös ég alatt" (trans: under the blood red sky) from their first album. Altogether, this album plays at the intersection of Extreme and Folk. And they play it well.