Album Review: Winter Storm - Relapse In Time
Reviewed by Jon Wigg
Winter Storm from the West Midlands return with their third album, a concept piece that continues the story of ‘The Protagonist’ started on 2013’s ‘Within The Frozen Design’. A melodic, gothic female-fronted metal band, Winter Storm find themselves in a market that is well represented at the moment, and comparisons to others in the genre are easy. There is certainly a similarity to bands such as Lacuna Coil, After Forever and Within Temptation, so do they distinguish themselves from the pack?
Yes and No.
Vocalist/Lead Guitarist Hannah Fieldhouse has a haunting, atmospheric singing style that fits in well here. For me, she lacks power at the higher reaches of the register, but in the lower sections, her performance really shines, adding to the overall feeling of the album, making it feel like she is telling a story.
The songs themselves range from the faster paced 'Dreamscape' and 'Colliding Skies' to the slower ballads of 'In Time' and 'Final Parting Glass'. 'Dreamscape' was a particular highlight that bangs along nicely, and sets the format for songs on this album, finishing with a fine guitar solo.
'Defy Me' sets a more sombre mood with Hannah’s lower ranger vocals really kicking in and finishes with a heavier prog section and solo. 'Astral World' is mid-paced to start then a more driving rhythm section prevails before the solo kicks in.
The ballad, 'In Time', is also a highlight with the atmosphere laid on thick through some great playing and vocals before more urgency is added with the more average 'Lifeless Pain'. 'Thought Machine' has a heavier, more modern feel although the higher ranged vocals seem to get lost in the mix. The longer solo section to finish is another standout on the album.
'Another Lost Light' fits the ‘start slow – build pace’ format and again Hannah’s lower register is to the fore here with some great haunting qualities.
The album finishes up with 'Ever Dark' and 'Final Parting Glass', the last of which provides a slower, lighter finish to proceedings with some great performances all round.
Overall, this is a very good, melodic metal album, which has some real highlights thanks to Hannah Fieldhouse’s haunting vocals that make some of the tracks really stand out. My only real criticism is that the mix can mean her performance is lost behind the excellent rhythm section in some of the songs, and I would have liked to hear more of her voice to the fore. There is a good mix of faster, mid and slower paced tracks here and although I felt there were a couple of average songs, there are some great highlights which will be going into my playlist, notably Dreamscape and Another Lost Light.
If you are a fan of melodic metal, this is definitely worth checking out.
Winter Storm's album 'Relapse In Time' gets released on October 11th.
