Iselder

Many of Iselder's song titles are in Welsh or contain some Welsh lyrics however Gofid is not a fluent Welsh speaker^[2] and many of the lyrics are in English. When younger, Gofid did not learn Welsh, believing the language to be close to dying and not viewing it important that the Welsh language thrived. However their view has now changed and they actively incorporate the Welsh language into their music where they can.^[6]

The release of the album "Welsh Nationalist Black Metal" in 2021 attracted controversy over its use of imagery. The decision to release 33 cassettes, the choice of white as a colour for the cassette and the use of the Eryr Wen were interpreted by some as sympathy with Nazi ideology.^[6] This was despite the j-card of this release including a quote saying “Being Welsh means belonging, feeling that we belong, whatever our language, colour or religion.”^[6]

The release of Iselder's second album, "Metal Du Gwir Cymreig", was initially planned for later that same year but was delayed when Gofid was arrested under suspicion of inciting arson and criminal damage.^[5] The investigation took five months during which time Gofid's phone, PC and all Iselder merchandise were seized, delaying release of the album.^[5]

The charges related to a parody t-shirt he created saying "Burn your local holiday home" which both referenced the arson attacks by Meibion Glyndŵr^[1] and "Burn your local church" t-shirts.^[6] The lyrics to Iselder's song "Llosgi Bwriadol" ( Welsh pronunciation: [ɬɔsgiː bwriːaːdɔl] meaning "arson"), which discusses the holiday home burnings in the 1980s and 1990s,^[7] also came under police scrutiny before all charges were dropped.^[5]