(Todd Manning wrote this review of the new album by Britain’s Winterfylleth.)
The ever-prolific British Black Metal madmen Winterfylleth are poised to release their newest full-length, and first for Spinefarm Records, entitled The Dark Hereafter. Drawing inspiration from Britain’s venerable heritage, Winterfylleth construct their own take on rustic and hypnotic Black Metal.
The group prove once again to be experts in walking the fine line between mood and atmosphere and sheer aural violence. In only five songs lasting around forty minutes, The Dark Hereafter” is able to maneuver a vast number of emotions. Opening tracks “The Dark Hereafter” and “Pariah’s Path” both showcase the band’s more immediate and brutal side. They alternate between blast beats and mid-paced double-bass-heavy sections with powerful, throat-shredding vocals. The riffs are simultaneously melodic yet razor sharp and drenched in distortion. Despite the immediacy of these tracks, they also possess a hypnotic quality as well. This allows for a smooth transition between the first and second halves of the release.
As the album progresses, a more varied sound emerges. By the time the fourth track “The Green Cathedral” rolls around, the multi-faceted approach of Winterfylleth is on full display. The epic thirteen-minute track retains a mid-paced tempo throughout and achieves an atmosphere not entirely unlike Wolves in the Throne Room. The song is very hypnotic but the vocals in particular retain a violent edge consistant with the earlier tracks.
“Led Astray in the Forest Dark” rounds the album out nicely, continuing the expansion of mood that began with “The Green Cathedral”. At this point, the vocals have taken on a melancholic, chant-like quality. The tempo remains reined in, but now the guitar begins interjecting a number of tasteful leads. The track closes with a more up-tempo jig, but more in the vein of Obsequiae and not so much Ensiferum.
If certain types of albums fit certain seasons more than others, this powerful release is an appropriate one with which to bring summer to a close. This type of rustic Black Metal certainly succeeds in evoking the winterscapes of their Norwegian forebearers, but without falling prey to imitation. One would be wise to pick up The Dark Hereafter right away, and be prepared to listen to it frequently over the coming months.
The Dark Hereafter will be released by Candlelight/Spinefarm on September 30, 2016. Physical editions are available here, and digital ones here.
https://www.facebook.com/Winterfylleth
http://www.winterfylleth.co.uk
11 Responses to “WINTERFYLLETH: “THE DARK HEREAFTER””
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Why, oh why, oh why do YouTube operate with regions?
Don;t know if it will matter, but that track is also on Spotify.
Have you considered using a VPN?
I don’t use Spotify, and I haven’t taken the time to get into VPN, although I should, if only to please my technical interests.
If the Universal Music Group don’t won’t publicity, so be it. I’ve got too much music to listen to, to vast time on finding workarounds anyway. I’d like to hear this, but I recon it’ll become available soon anyway. Better apply a doze of patience and bid my time on other metal till then.
I wish Spinefarm and Candlelight had no affiliation to bloated mainstream acts such as UMG in the first place.
(I might be going out on a limb assuming that UMG is the main reason for this regional blockage, but it’s happened before.)
just use the browser extension “zen mate”.
no deep tech skills required.
I enjoy challenging my tech skills, but with limited time to spare, I think I’ll check out Zen Mate. Thanks for the tip.
The last track is a cover of Ulver’s I Troldskog Faren Vild, which together with the artwork that seems to be lifted straight from Nattens Madrigal, makes me doubt the “drawing inspirations from Britain’s venerable heritage” bit a little. And I am aware of their Heritage Metal moniker…
Make that Bergtatt, not Nattens Madrigal…
You’d be excused for mistaking them, the cover art for the three black metal trilogy albums were done by the same artist, Tania “Nacht” Stene (also done photos and art for other Norwegian black metal artists).
Yes, the cover photo is so similar to the Bergtatt painting, I doubt it’s happenstance.
Oh, I’d give the original a listen even if you don’t understand Norwegian. Despite its age, I think it’s much better than this cover version. The rest of the album is pretty good as well.
Zen out mannnnn