Description

Double album on black vinyls with printed innersleeves

Winterhorde’s 2010 album Underwatermoon was a well-composed, interesting melodic black metal album however during the six years between that album and Maestro its clear that the four members and the band, have continued to develop their sound. As a whole, Maestro is complete. At 65 minutes—probably an appropriate length after a six year wait, but still in the danger zone—the album flows smoothly. Winterhorde combines a variety of sounds to make their sound work and which they execute expertly. Blasty melodic black metal is the backbone upon which the band’s sound is built, but they are far from limited. Melodic and classic metal, as well as orchestral influences, build the broad boundaries of Winterhorde‘s sound. Unique, but also familiar, combinations help pace Maestro, and the album is a gratifying listen. The album’s first real song—”Antipath”—sets the stage for the entire album. Starting with a lonely violin over acoustic guitars, it gives way to rising orchestration and guitar-driven melodies, buttressed by blast beats. These contrasts define Maestro and make for its most engaging moments. “Cold” may start with a noir-inspired saxophone, but it gives way to a blast-heavy wall of sound on the back end. “Worms of Soul” borrows a page from Behemoth‘s playbook with horn-heavy orchestrations leading the charge only to give to a mid-paced groove and eerie female operatics. “They Came with Eyes of Fire” starts off with 10 seconds of acoustic work drawing from the same influences as fellow Israelis Orphaned Land before exploding into blasts. Yet while Winterhorde is always able to slow things down, bridging the heavy and the soft, they still leave the impression that Maestro is an unquestionably heavy album. I point this out because while Maestro is a heavy album, it’s also a very diverse album. “Through the Broken Mirror” proffers a jazz feel and a waft of the 1970s. “Cold” gives a nod toward the sad land of Finnish melodic death metal, while “Dancing in Flames” features an Arcturus feel à la “The Chaos Path” and NWoBHM guitars. The 11:30 “The Heart of Coryphee” is probably the album’s finest moment, featuring the minimal, the epic, the beautiful, and the heavy all in the boundaries of one exquisitely composed track. Overall an album most melodic black metal fans should enjoy

Track list:
1. That Night In Prague
2. Antipath
3. Worms Of Soul
4. They Came With Eyes Of Fire
5. Chronic Death
6. The Heart Of Coryphee
7. A Dying Swan
8. Maestro
9. Through The Broken Mirror
10. Cold
11. Dancing In Flames