Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 08:37 PM by Nikos Nakos
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: U.K.
Label: Candlelight Records
Year: 2016
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Winterfylleth might be one of the finest uprising black metal bands out of the United Kingdom. The elegant outfit is dominant in the scene, with almost ten years of activity and a very strong discography already, reaching 2016 with the release of their fifth full length album named “The Dark Hereafter”.
Once again, we come across a cover art with trees and a foggy landscape, following the band’s trend to depict the beauty of nature in each and every one of their albums. It seems like it’s business as usual for them, as they maintain a fairly clean production with a pleasing sound similar to their last record “The Divination of Antiquity”. The first and self-titled track cuts to the chase and brings some distinct guitar lines of the band that will satisfy any fan of theirs for sure. It goes on in a fast pace until it’s end and maybe that’s why it’s a bit short for their standards, clocking at four minutes.
Next comes “Pariah’s Path”, which isn’t actually a new song, instead it was used as a bonus track for “The Divination of Antiquity” as well. It’s long, full of nice melodies and finishes with these great, low clean vocals that glorify it’s closure, before introducing the third piece “Ensigns of Victory”. This is another song that is nothing less than what one would expect from Winterfylleth, with it’s second half being more memorable to me, because of it’s guitar work.
And while you are deep in the band’s territory, you reach “Green Cathedral”. It’s worth noting that this is the longest track by the band ever, going up to thirteen minutes in length. It lasts more or less one third of the whole record and it is truly a momumental composition and in my opinion, the most important piece of this release. It’s majestic atmosphere is built on synths, multiple vocals, acoustic guitars, all in a dreamy, slow speed. The sound of the drums here is more clear and by all means, amazing. This should be considered one of the most potent tracks of the band to this day and a landmark for their style.
“The Dark Hereafter” closes with a track named “Led Astray in the Forest Dark”. The title does not ring a bell at first but it’s in fact a cover of Ulver’s “Capitel I: I Troldskog Faren Vild” from 1995’s Bergtatt album, which Winterfylleth execute masterfully. It fits perfectly to the aesthetic of the rest of the album and how well they play it shows the top-notch musicianship of the band. Such immense tracks are not easy to cover as it would seem, but Winterfylleth do it perfectly.
On the other hand, one cannot ignore how shorter this record is compared to previous offers by the band. In the last three albums, we were treated with more than an hour of music and a total of 9-10 tracks in each release, while “The Dark Hereafter” only has five. From these five compositions, “Pariah’s Path” is an old track and there is a cover as well, so it’s pretty much a full length album with only three new tracks in it.
This would be the only reason some fans might be disappointed after listening to the new album. I don’t really mind if this isn’t that much music for a full length album and the truth is this would be an ideal Winterfylleth EP, but still I can’t question the band’s quality and no one else should. I don’t think they surpassed themselves with this record, even with “Green Cathedral” in it, but it is still what they do best. If I was to be a bit more pretentious, I would expect more from this but the music contained is great.
4/6
