Wintermoon "Cold Sky Rising" CD Digipack

Digipack CD with 16 pages Booklet limited to 500 copies.

With a band name like this and the icy cover artwork kept in blue and white the music of Wintermoon comes with a certain expectation. And without a doubt the signs which were there turn out to have been interpreted in a correct way in case you guessed that these gentlemen play traditional melodic black metal like the Northern Europeans already did in the nineties. The biggest surprise might be that we are talking about a French band as France is normally known for a bit of a different sound but then again in the modern age these kinds of exclusive local attributes might be anyway not accurate anymore. Who cares as long as the music is good, and one thing can be stated straight away: The debut full length “Cold Sky Rising” is as much fun as it is not innovative. With a playing time of nearly one hour there is a lot of meat to pick from the bones and while not every moment here is perfect the great stuff far outweighs the mediocre or below-average parts.

Starting the show with an epic intro you might get into the mood of starting another run of Skyrim. However, it does not take too long before Wintermoon hammer away and put the pedal to the metal. The guitar work is probably the highlight of the record, constantly evolving and deliciously entertaining throughout the playing time. Tracks like “Battle on Ice” offer some nearly NWOBHM like lead lines, but there are also classic black metal harmonies used to create an icy yet uplifting atmosphere. The guitar players trade off razor sharp riffs and leads from start to finish. They also know when to throw in some more extended soloing work without drifting into overly annoying territory. This is a dynamic enough record, with its blackened intensity interspersed with moments of quiet delicacy and melody. The drumming also deserves a shout-out as it is ultra-precise without getting into the flow of the songs.

Cuts like “Frost Giants March” show similar energy and make sure that the entertainment level is kept high over the whole record. Immediately grabbing the audience’s attention, the main chords are dense, relentless, and escalating. Creating an atmosphere ranging from ferocious riffing to groovy mid-tempo sections with elongated electric guitar notes sprinkled on top, to swirling and piercing lead harmonies and relentless blasting this song is a prime example of melodic black metal done right. The band makes sure that there is enough variation throughout the album, often slowing tracks down in the middle or implementing unexpected twists and turns like short acoustic moments. The gnarling voice of singer Gryp fits the music for the most part, although some might feel the vocals can come across a bit monotonous in the long run. I personally am not bothered as I prefer this approach to over-dramatic acting each day of the week and Gryp more than makes up for it with his intense delivery.

There is something terrifyingly gripping about the visceral performances shown from the first note onwards, something touchingly genuine about the wistful melodies which dominate the whole record. Wintermoon perfectly capture the scope of epic landscapes covered in frost and snow as they bring us close to the era that was once ruled by dark wizard and ice dragons. While the band seems at their best when delivering eerie, tremolo-picked bangers like “Jötnar’s Wrath” with its soaring guitar lines I really enjoy the sections where the dial the tempo and aggression back a bit and leave more room to the intriguing harmonies. With the last three cuts Wintermoon have extended the song lengths and use this as chance to present even more epic ideas. Once the climax of “Cold Sky Rising” is reached every fan of classic Scandinavian melodic black metal should be more than happy. The production is also fine, not too modern, or sterile but dynamic enough to give the music the weight it deserves. Great album by a promising band.

Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=gClFP-89rq8