There are a few bands in metal
that bring their “A” game every time.
Although they are not very well known here in the US, this is definitely
one of them.
A lack of touring on this
side of the pond has helped this band keep a low profile, but with this album,
their 4
th, it will be harder and harder for fans of quality metal to
ignore them.
If you dig black metal,
this is your jam.
Black metal is my favorite metal
sub-genre and
Winterfylleth is one of my favorite bands.
Along with bands like
Falls Of Rauros,
Wodensthrone, and
Wolves In The Throne Room, they play a very
anthemic, driving style of black metal and I love it.
Another cool thing about this band is that
they are steeped in the history of England and their music reflects their love
of this history and their homeland.
Although the lyrics are hard to understand while sung, if you can get a
hold of a lyric sheet you can learn a little bit as well.
The recording of this album is
top notch.
All the instruments are clear
and balanced in the mix and the vocals have the right amount of frostiness to
suit the genre.
If you listen to this
album, do so with headphones and check out the interplay between the guitars.
There is some very cool stuff going on with
these guitar players and there are all kinds of little complementary things
going on throughout the album.
Their
drummer is always on point and probably the best drummer in black metal today.
He brings it every time.
As far as songs, the masterpiece
on this album is the 4
th track, “A Careworn Heart”.
It starts out with a beautiful acoustic
passage that lasts about 90 seconds, and then the band kicks it.
But it is a little slower than the previous
tracks, and you can feel that the band is pulling back a little.
That restraint allows them to show off what
they can do.
Not just the driving, epic
type of songs but something with a little delicacy and soulfulness to it.
It's a great track with some great melodies
and musicianship and one of the best songs I've heard all year.
The two tracks that follow,
“Foundations Of Ash” and “The World Ahead” are further testament to what this
band can do.
“Foundations” is just a
crushing riff and shows that this band can get really heavy if they want to,
while “World” is a quiet, reflective, acoustic number that again sets this band
apart from many of their peers.
It's important to distinguish
yourself when you are a band trying to make your way in today's music
environment.
Winterfylleth
certainly do that and I hope that many more metal fans will take notice of this
release, and that the band can actually do some shows here in the US.
They deserve to be heard and you deserve to
listen to high quality metal such as this.
- ODIN
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