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California’s
Winterthrall have two full-lengths on their backs and
they sound like they could have been written by
different bands. We can’t really talk about an
evolution in sound as much as a straight up switch. The
change is so drastic it sounds like a conscious effort
to represent a new state of mind in the band. That said,
both styles are deeply entrenched in the band’s ethos
but while one s more purely European black metal sounding,
the other one risks an audience by offering a more
expanding and far reaching sound.
Nightmares
for the Sleepless is the band’s 2006 debut and shows a band with
a rigorous sound. What surprised me first was how professional
and tight Winterthrall sounds. The riffs are killer, intricate,
melodic, and aggressive. The solos are as good as I’ve ever
heard. The one at the end of “Autumn Caskets” is particularly
melancholic.
More difficult is the balance achieved between
guitar arrangements and orchestration. The latter has been
wisely understated by having the guitars assume the dominant
role. I thought of Emperor at different parts of the album, but
not once does vocalist Steve Nelson stretches to the
ridiculously high shriek of Isahn. There is a counterbalance
too, as guttural vocals get about half the lyrics.
Speedwise,
Winterthrall don’t shy away from blasting out at machine gun
speed. In parts of “Edifice of Betrayal” the band accelerates
to light speed, but take into consideration that careful and
pseudo romantic arrangements dominate.
The Ep Stormraven comes three years later and shows a band less
preoccupied with complex songwriting and songs as separations
and more into ambience and a complete piece of functional work.
The first song, simply titled “I”, is an eight-minute mid-tempo
with a few passages, among them an upbeat acoustic interlude.
The second song, “II” is an instrumental acoustic guitar track.
That’s it. It’s great. Crafty arrangements, gorgeous and
baroque melodies, proficient playing. But that’s a full song for
an EP of five songs!
Winterthrall
follow that up with a slow moving doom number. Think of
Katatonia. And I say that as a compliment. The second half of
the song is crowned by another gorgeous guitar solo. This is a
crafty quartet indeed. Romanticism has taken over their minds
and lucky for us, these guys are not channeling those tendencies
with cheese. Instead a focus in somber moods and a more
guitar-centric approach has taken their music to a new level.
Stormraven
comes to an end with the epic simmer of “IV”. Rain and
acoustic strumming take up about half of its sixteen minutes.
It’s an interesting listen, albeit it is only partially metal.
Were these guys to make a full-length this captivating they’d
have a real gem.
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