Winterfylleth : "The Imperious Horizon"

 Catching up buzzed about albums that slipped under my radar. I have reviewed most of their previous album, the earlier work is better. This album opens with the intensity you want from black metal It storms along like Immortal, though the vocals are shouted out in a very staccato manner. The song after this just kind of blasts along a similar current that does not do as much for me, as I am not a big fan of when all of a band's songs sound the same. Is their drummer a machine, able to keep up with the guitars? Sure. The album has a massive sound so that might impress you. If you begin skipping a little on the song to see if it goes anywhere, it does not seem to be heading away from this buzz. There are many guitar parts piled on top of one another, so maybe you are in very subtle difference.

The same blasting buzz kicks in for "Upon this shore' and it bores me. There are some guitar melodies but it feels like a mute point if it is layered over the same tempos as the other songs. The first real change happens at about four and a half minutes in but it's woefully short-lived. The title track does find things dropping down midway into the song. But these songs are really long for them to just blast off one theme. Maybe things are going to take a turn at this point.  The 11-minute song  "the Silent Grace' opens with clean guitar offering a more melancholic turn. We are not midway into the album, so they took their time getting here., The singer from Primordial joins in on this one. Making it the album's best song, 

"To the Edge of Tyranny" is more straightforward and in your face which is an improvement, as it's not just blasting you into a coma. The last song "In Insurrection" snarls with conviction as they attack in a more deliberate yt blackened manner. I will give this album an 7.5, as it gets better midway through and the overall sound of the album compensates as a whole. 

pst616

Winterfylleth : " The Hallowing Of Heirdom "

Well this is something that might not be totally out of left field for the band as they have always had folk elements to their sound, but for this album they have abandoned metal altogether to make a neo-folk album. The first song I thought was more Dead Can Dance for them, then I went and read the promo pack for this album to find it's all acoustic. I guess even them you could have double bass or growling without distortion, but I don't think that is their intention here. It might not be what I want from them but it is well done. The test will be is it all ballads. Just because you are playing acoustic it doesn't meant it all has to be ballads, but that is what we continue to get on the second song. This time is largely instrumental with the vocal parts mainly textures in the background. They find their way back to a strum for "Aecerbot".  I guess this still falls in the ballad pile. The strum of the guitars gives it a little more movement. The vocals kind of drag behind the guitar.

The bulk of the instrumentals on here just sound like they are playing around on the guitar and decided to record it. The vocals return for "Elder Mother". Another song that is more reflective in it's pacing. It gives a bardic recall about one of England's kings. Then "Embers" is something that feels more like an interlude than a song. But since they feel it is a song and the bulk of the album are pieces like this , then I will judge it accordingly when rating this album. A string section is introduced to the gloomy "A Latch to a Grave" this is one of the album's stronger moments. Much of that is owed to the strings and the layered vocals.

The last real song is also the title track that closes the album. The vocals are really well recorded and it's not a bad song, but it continues on the same gloomy ballad tangent they have been on for the bulk of the album. While I am fine with gloom, I would like some varied shades in terms of dynamics as this sits kind of flat with me. I'll round this one down to a 6 for this reason. If you are really into neo-folk, how much new stuff can be coming out ? so you will glad to get anything.

This album comes out  April 6th

Winterfylleth : "the Dark Hereafter"

Something makes me dig this album, more than I would under other conditions. I'm not sure if it's the slight chill of Fall beginning to creep into the air as Halloween approaches that makes me or in the mood for what this British black metal band  is dishing out. They kicks into their fifth full length off with the kind of fury you would expect. It's when they slow down enough to smell the dead roses that the song really connects on "Pariah's Path", But as black metal would have it they can no resist the urge to blast beat away into the night for long . "Ensigns of Victory" carries a smooth coating of atmosphere to the driving wall of double bass propelling the song. The vocals at this point take on a very similar tone and cadence in their dry mid range scream. Even with this there still seems to be more fine tuning in the song writing department than many of the black metal bands that come through my in-box, though I can't say I hear a lot of sounds that are unique to them as a band.

At 13 minutes "Green Cathedral" is the first really long and winding song. It takes a minute for the first guitar part to unfold and then another two minutes for it to go somewhere, so this song could have been trimmed down to ten minutes. I guess this is like a black metal take on a power ballad. There is an interesting web of guitars melodies woven on this one. The album closes with "Led Astray in Forest Dark"  which is not inherently original, but the pieces in play click the right way. Musically it's more mid paced double bass driven epic black metal that backs off just enough for the  monk like  chants of the vocals to really work.

I am undecided if I need this in my iPod or not. But I am going to round this up to a 9 regardless. These guys are old pros now on their fifth album so it should not be a surprise that they have everything dialed in just right from both a production and performance stand point. The songs seems to always find something that can grab your attention as well, so if you are looking for moody black metal to lead you into the fall here's an album for you.

Winterfylleth : the Therenody of Triumph

With October already upon us it is fitting to review and band who goes by the Old English name for the month. Though this is the third album by these guys, it's my first listen and I gotta say they caught me by surprised with their ferocity and foeward thinking take on black metal. It goes to show how deceptive the labels and sub genres we attach to bands can be. I had heard this band called both pagan and folk black metal and I think the black metal part is the only adjective. I suppose there are some elements of garnish which might in a broad of of broad sword might justify the pagan label, if mlyrical content and the rare symphonic interlude make you Primordial, which in this instance is not the case.

There is far more blasty mcnasty here than any frolicking around the may pole. If you read my reviews on a regular basis then you know blast beats alone only go so far with me before I require dynamic substance, Winterfylleth passes this criteria with flying colors even though the tend to bring it with a fast fury. The first impression was these guys were as faster Moonsorrow, they are much meaner and don't rely on the epic gallop to Stonehenge. The use of the sonic half time break down comes into play on songs like " void of light" but is effective rather than a check off the old post Dark Throne riffs to hit check list for modern black metal.

The majority of the vocals are harsly screamed mid range, with the occasional tankard of ale swinging chorus,rousing a song here and there. The is some variance with a lower death like growl rumbling up from the bowels of the diaphragm. The vocals are more of an abrasive layer glazing the music than the focal point with the lyrics unintelligible but if you are a fan of black metal then its part and parcel, as the guitars carry the melodies soaring out from the majestic attack.

The precise assault of the drumming is one of this albums strong points which propels it forward with unrelenting power throughout. The bass is audible and makes an effort to stand apart from the guitar which is a rare treat for a black metal band as the genre as a whole tends to lose the bass in the tremolo picked chaos. The guitar playing is proficient and plays to the songs, no solos or show boating.

Is this the most original music to come out this year no, but for this brand of ripping black metal I think they deserve credit for acknowledging the fact other music has co e out after Windir. There sonic palate leans even towards bands like Krallice, who invoke a hypnotic drone in their maelstroms. When really digging into repeat listens to try and score this thing I begin to notice the formula, blast on you for the first half of the song then switch it up my with one of the ale swilling refrains and swell out on a sonicscape. This generally work thoungh the blink and you'll miss it tempos can make it hard to tell if the songs have just bled into one another at times'leading the album to become a back ground drone at times.

The more dynamic drones of etheric splendor they hit on a song like " a soul unbound" make up for the songs where they rely too much perhaps on the blur of the mcnasties. It's in a song like this where they are devoid of all ties to anything pagan, folk or otherwise Stonehenge. Not that there are really any dwarves endangered of being trampled any where on this album.

The two instrumental interludes I'm not including when I score the album as they wont make it to my iPod , in listening to the album all the way through they give a breather so I get that maybe they could have been worked into the actual songs similar to the end of the title track , but it's not an instance where I see it becoming a distraction from my listening experience.

After repeat listens I feel pretty good giving this thing an eight, the albums strengths are on the other side it's weakness , ferocity and velocity can be a great weapon to pummel your head into banging or at times can make everything at that tempo begin to sound too familiar. If you like fast black metal with texture and a modern take on being cvltness from across the pond then this album is worth your time .