Digipack, compilation of the band's only releases "Kirkkokyrpä" (CD 1996) and "Jääverisaatana" (MCD 1995).
Unofficial release, disc is a professionally manufactured CD, not a CDr.
Vintersemestre is a band of low activity and recognition. However, this doesn't reduce their quality nor the effort they had put on their few releases. On Jääverisaatana they present an old fashion black metal which fulfills a lot of second wave standards with a raw production and an emphasis to lengthy blast beats.
After a typical synth introduction which serves its purpose well, follows Firedance, a song characterized by vigorous blasts and intense vocals. The mixing does not help keyboards to sound as they should, but they still work pretty well. The Wisdom of Usuluh is a song that embodies my personal favorite theme; a doom-ish riff with multiple vocals in the middle of the track. The Darkness of Asath and Silent Tongues follow the same pattern of 80% blast beat and Abigar is an enjoyable outro with acoustic guitar.
Regarding the production section (as I mentioned above), there's a raw outcome with a minimum of bass frequencies and the sound is pretty much bad. But it's audible and that's what counts. After all, for some of us, an under-produced second wave release is an ideal one.
Overall, Jääverisaatana is a worth checking EP, especially if you feel like yearning for some good old '90s black metal, as long as you don't have serious objections about low quality sound.
Probably the most underrated and unheard of black metal of the 90's... Unknown artists, no lyrics, no photos.. pure obscurity. Being the band's only LP it's far from amateur, as the members obviously knew what they were doing when it came to musicianship and recording; way ahead of their time. Powerful keyboards, though not overpowering, sharp guitars, and precise drumming. With so much praise and glory going to many of the more popular second wave bands of the early to mid 90's, it's not surprising this album was overlooked or perhaps never even mentioned.
A true gem in almost every aspect... The only thing preventing this from being my all-time favorite black metal album is the sometimes "comical" vocals. They are great for the most part but sometimes can be a tad bit silly, as they tend to get a bit higher-pitched than the normalcy of the rest of the album, almost in resemblance to a witch. Nonetheless, hard to find any real imperfections in this record, maybe it's just me and my set of ears. Black metal, especially in the 90's, is already underground for most listeners who aren't familiar with the genre.
It's a fucking shame with bands such as Vintersemestre that they never got the recognition they truly deserved. An era long gone but an album for me that will never grow old. It's hard to describe a specific sound of a particular band such as this one, so it's pretty much a listen for yourself kind of situation. 1996 was almost 20 years ago and every aspect of music has changed but it never hurts to live in the past when it comes to great music.
Not sure why I'm writing a review for this album in 2016 as if anyone needs a recommendation for it. If you're into underground metal, especially of the black metal variety, there's no excuse to why you shouldn't have already heard this.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=VHyEZCLqznw&t=1311s
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=KU_ROcoKUCA
