Winterfylleth
The Unyielding Season
Napalm Records
Despite spawning the first wave of black metal through Venom (who also “christened” the scene via their sophomore album), the UK has often been seen as a poor relation to regional movements in Scandinavia and South America. However, along with bands such as Wodensthrone, Winterfylleth are not only restoring the UK’s tarnished reputation, but releasing albums that can hold their own with anything currently unleashed around the globe. Their ninth long player, The Unyielding Season, is a prime example; featuring ten tracks of atmospheric black metal which delve deep into the history of our sceptred isle. Their first album for Napalm Records finds this Manchester quintet reinvigorated, delivering a particularly vitriolic bunch of songs that emit a sense of danger, with ‘Perdition’s Flame’ suggesting you don’t get too close lest it seers your skin. One criticism levelled at Winterfylleth is that they are trapped within their scene and do little to move their sound forwards. Yet the band find ingenious ways to break out of the genre’s confines: ‘Echoes In The After’, for instance, draws upon 16th-century literature and in turn comments upon the recent felling of the ancient sycamore tree near Hadrian’s Wall. It evidences Winterfylleth in their prime and finds The Unyielding Season bearing ripe fruits.
https://www.facebook.com/Winterfylleth
Review by Peter Dennis.