Spiritus Sylvestris

Iskandr's Spiritus Sylvestris is a radical departure from the black metal roots of the project, showcasing a psychedelic folk doom sound that builds upon the directions of previous albums like Vergezicht and Glas.

The album is cinematic in scope, with a majestic and threatening aura of sublime grandeur. The Latin title translates to "spirit of the wild" and references the alchemical name for carbon dioxide, symbolizing the release of the spirit of the wilderness into the ether through burning wood and charcoal.

The songs on Spiritus Sylvestris tell impressionistic stories of natural elements personified, exploring the powerful spirits that linger in the earth and are forced to haunt our world. In a time of irreversible planetary damage and climate change, Iskandr offers funeral dirges for the world we have lost.

The album embraces a limitless approach, incorporating musical elements from various genres and moving between the martial stomp of early Laibach and the ethereal melodics of Dead Can Dance. Recorded and mixed by Pieter Kloos at The Void Studio in Eindhoven, Spiritus Sylvestris broadens the scope and sound of Iskandr, creating open soundscapes with heavy baritone guitar riffs, percussive rhythms, and psychedelic layers of Hammond organ, Mellotron, and subtle acoustics.

If the world is coming to an end, Spiritus Sylvestris provides a requiem for what is lost.