Hailing from Ekaterinburg in Russia, Wintercult is a depressive black metal band formed in 2010 at the hands of Waldgeist and Aequiternus. The first full-length Neverending Selfhatred, released in 2012, was not a completely convincing album, although it contains a few wonderful songs such as “Submerged in Desolation”. The second album The Last Winter, released in 2013, marks a clear improvement from all points of view, especially as regards composition. Waldgeist and Aequiternus have managed to create more mature songs while attaining a better sound quality. The ingredients are arpeggios, tremolo melodies, desperate screaming, and an atmosphere whose pathos is accentuated by recurring mid-tempos. With these ingredients Wintercult will take you on a journey into an ethereal, evocative world full of melancholy.
The songs, considered individually, are all very beautiful and poignant, especially the first four ones. But the album as a whole shows a certain repetitiveness because all the songs are always based on the same structural patterns and on the same gimmicks. The above mentioned ingredients are used without variation. Therefore, in the long run, the album can be tedious and after the first four songs the listener might lose interest and feel that one does not need to listen to the rest of the album because it is exactly identical to the first half. Another point that can be bothersome is the sound of the drums. Ok, I know that Wintercult does not have a human drummer, but uses a drum machine for the rhythm section, but the drum sound is far too artificial and synthetic, which is not a small drawback in the music of Wintercult. On the other side it must also be said that this is of course a congenital drawback of all the bands that do not have a drummer.
The lyrics are in Russian, a language that I do not know, so I am not able to write about them; but judging from the titles, which are in English except one in French and one in Latin, I can imagine that the themes are not so cheerful: winter, depression, sadness, loneliness.
In conclusion, although it is somewhat repetitive, The Last Winter is not a bad album and is worth a listen; it will surely appeal to those who love depressive.
Notes:
The Last Winter was released on October 4, 2013 on Urgrund Division.
The songs, considered individually, are all very beautiful and poignant, especially the first four ones. But the album as a whole shows a certain repetitiveness because all the songs are always based on the same structural patterns and on the same gimmicks. The above mentioned ingredients are used without variation. Therefore, in the long run, the album can be tedious and after the first four songs the listener might lose interest and feel that one does not need to listen to the rest of the album because it is exactly identical to the first half. Another point that can be bothersome is the sound of the drums. Ok, I know that Wintercult does not have a human drummer, but uses a drum machine for the rhythm section, but the drum sound is far too artificial and synthetic, which is not a small drawback in the music of Wintercult. On the other side it must also be said that this is of course a congenital drawback of all the bands that do not have a drummer.
The lyrics are in Russian, a language that I do not know, so I am not able to write about them; but judging from the titles, which are in English except one in French and one in Latin, I can imagine that the themes are not so cheerful: winter, depression, sadness, loneliness.
In conclusion, although it is somewhat repetitive, The Last Winter is not a bad album and is worth a listen; it will surely appeal to those who love depressive.
Notes:
The Last Winter was released on October 4, 2013 on Urgrund Division.
| Tracklist: 1. The Last Winter 2. Taedium Vitae 3. Eternal Solitude 4. La tristesse durera toujours 5. Anabiosis 6. The Somber End II | 09:44 06:03 09:16 07:10 07:50 05:42 45:45 |
Personnel:
Waldgeist - Vocals, Guitars, Music, Lyrics
Aequiternus - Bass, Programming
Waldgeist - Vocals, Guitars, Music, Lyrics
Aequiternus - Bass, Programming
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com