WINDSWEPT is yet another creative vehicle for the esteemed Roman Saenko, known worldwide for his pioneering work in Drudkh and Hate Forest among others. While most of his musical creations stem from black metal, thankfully, WINDSWEPT is consistent in this regard and unapologetically restrictive, retaining Saenko's characteristically hypnotic riffing coasting atop a wintry atmosphere.
Now, after a couple albums with Season of Mist, WINDSWEPT join forces with PRIMITIVE REACTION, who released the debut album of his PRECAMBRIAN project in 2020, with the brand-new mini-album Der eine, wahre König. Uniquely, this four-song / 28-minute recording features two equally esteemed vocalists - Winterherr of Paysage D' Hiver, and Meilenwald of Ruins of Beverast - with both men splitting duties evenly. Indeed, with such a structure, Der eine, wahre König is a portrait of evenness: unwavering, unflinching, immovable, engrossing. Movement manifests in subtlety, as is Saenko's stock in trade; further and deeper listens reveal a wealth of nuance even if it's not always apparent. All four tracks comprising the record feature all-German lyrics, evoking a different-yet-related sense of austerity from the mainman's proudly Ukrainian ruminations, and both vocalists rise to the challenge of pushing their respective throats to the limit whilst remaining rooted to WINDSWEPT's core consistency. That Der eine, wahre König attacks from the very first second and successively expands, concluding with the near-11-minute "Jedes Todes Lohn," and retains its astute balance of urgency and epicness speaks to Saenko's never-faltering mastery.
Incest is sex between close relatives. In most societies is it considered immoral or is even condemned, as it increases the risk of genetic disorders considerably and generally leads to undesirable outcomes. A principle that seems clear when discussing human reproduction becomes far murkier when applied to black metal where it´s practically a business model. Here, musicians circulate between bands like guests at an underground swinger club, exchanging their “musical genetic” heritage with reckless abandon, swapping riffs instead of bodily fluids. The key question is whether this intermingling leads to musical disorders, or does it safeguard the genre against unwanted “pollution”?
In the case of Ukrainian Windswept’s latest release, “Der eine, wahre König”, the result is neither an abomination nor a masterpiece. The band was founded by members of Drudkh and Rattenfänger, with vocal guest appearances from Wintherr (Darkspace, Paysage d’Hiver) and Meilenwald (The Ruins of Beverast) on the here reviewed EP, which presents four new tracks firmly rooted in melodic black metal. Given the backgrounds of those involved, one might expect a fusion of Drudkh’s atmospheric, keyboard laden black metal and Rattenfänger’s death-leaning aggression, but Windswept completely avoids such cross-pollination. Instead, it plays it safe. The album is ferocious in execution but largely predictable in structure. The material sticks to a well-worn path, focusing on blistering speed with some slower sections, that at least in parts push beyond the band’s previous efforts.
The EP´s four songs are covered by three different vocalists, which gives us some of that much needed variation. Their vocal pitch is diverse enough to give each song a distinctive voice. The standout moment arrives with “Drangsal” (“Tribulation”), the shortest and strongest track. The song´s hooks stick immediately and despite following the same approach as the rest—blistering fast sections, followed by a slower one—here the riffs are just a tad more urgent and the imploring voice during the evocative break works well in contrast to the dark growls and aggressive, venomous malevolence. Unexpectedly, this song is performed in German, too, though the band´s Ukrainian vocalist takes the lead here.
The opener “Verbrannte Brücken” (“Burnt Bridges”) feels like “Drangsal”’s slightly less charismatic sibling. The composition follows a similar route, but pummels you from start to finish, not giving you any room to breathe. If “Drangsal” is the EP’s moment of triumph, the 10-minute closing track “Jedes Todes Lohn” (“Every Death’s Reward”) is its least inspired. My issue is, when I am gasping for air, I don´t need five minutes to catch my breath. The song starts with a stomping mid-tempo riff that feels played out two minutes in, before half-way the band starts sprinting towards the finale.
In summary, Windswept is committed to keep their sound untainted from outside influences and thus ensures that their work remains firmly within genre expectations. But in their attempt to avoid “pollution”, they also miss an opportunity to create something more distinctively “incestuous” in the best possible way and show some more evolution. That said, fans of straightforward black metal, who prefer their music without the burden of overcomplicated structures, will find plenty to enjoy.
Sample:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pERUF1crvg&t=509s
