Album Review: Winterfylleth - The Imperious Horizon
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
After a gap of four-years – their longest period between albums – Manchester’s Winterfylleth return - post-plague - to re-stake their claim as Albion’s premier purveyors of Atmospheric Black Metal. And, if such is their intention, then The Imperious Horizon is the ideal sword to unsheathe.
The hiatus seems to have been used to the band’s benefit for, while Winterfylleth have never released anything remotely substandard, The Imperious Horizon has the sound of a band who’ve found a new level to their mojo.
Album opener, First Light, is like a portal to the past, drawing the listener back through the ages with its ominous sustained chord and supplementary traditional instrumentation; we’re deposited to a time when the land was sacred and blessed by the blood of its sons and daughters.
Without heirs or graces, Like Brimming Fire launches straight into a barrage of uncompromising low end, Simon Lucas and Nick Wallwork have fifteen years-plus as the heartbeat of Winterfylleth and they lay the platform perfectly. Chris Naughton’s buzzsaw rhythm guitarwork bridges the gap between the raw aggression and the leads from Russell Dobson and keys of Mark Deeks.
The atmosphere resulting from this dichotomy drives the album, through soaring, uplifting symphonic passages and melodic melancholy, through dense musical moments to lush, spacious, almost cinemascopic, respites.
Lead single, Dishonour Enthroned, feels as though there is a morose counter-riff acting against the song’s charging progression, a sadness within Chris’ vocals and a subtle addition to Simon’s drums. As the tune breaks with sumptuous swells, it’s as though we’re again drawn back through history, Mark’s keys offering the climax a choral-like close.
Winterfylleth have always been aligned with the words of the great poets of this land; whether that be the Miltonic epigram from The Divination of Antiquity, or the direct references to Christopher Marlow and Percy Shelley on The Hallowing of Heirdom, the Romantic and pastoral have played a key part in the band’s aesthetic. Rather takes me back to being an undergraduate, to be honest, though the use of Alexander Brome’s The King’s Death (1648) in Dishonour Enthroned is something of a deep-dive into the canon.
Upon This Shore’s layered guitars feel as though they are in constant conversation, as sweeping orchestration imbue an upbeat and positive message; the title-track continues this, featuring an acoustic interlude around a crackling fire, including Nick’s bass offering a ghostly vibe, only for the tune to reawaken in a dark, Enslaved-like mode.
The familiar traditionally instrumented interludes are realised in Earthen Sorrows, as Winterfylleth remind us they are as comfortable and effective unplugged as they are when turned up to eleven.
It’s fair to say the band have never even tried to be a down and dirty raw Black Metal outfit. Somehow, I don’t think corpse paint would suit the members, especially Nick, who comes over as being far too smiley to be able to pull off the mean and moody.
That doesn't mean Winterfyleth can’t have a dalliance with the cvlt now and again and on The Imperious Horizon, you’ll find To the Edge of Tyranny, a short, sub-four minute fist-pumping speedster forged in Second Wave fires, featuring the dirtiest of Black Metal guitar in the bridges.
Separated only the Earthen Sorrows, closer The Insurrection goes back to the frozen Scandinavian forests for an unrelenting charge, with Chris’ vocals sounding like a frenzied berserker. The combination of symphonic elements enwrapped within suggests touring with Emperor was productive in multiple ways.
I’ve deliberately left the album’s centrepiece, In Silent Grace, to the end as it is The Imperious Horizon’s crowning glory. The longest tune on offer, it features vocals from Primordial’s Alan Averill and is as expensive and epic as either band have ever been. It’s the perfect blend of both, with the blast beats reduced to a minimum and Simon’s drums coming over as restrained. That doesn’t mean In Silent Wake is any less intense; the slower tempo allows the guitars to breathe and evoke images of heraldic bravery. Again, Mark’s keys supplement the atmosphere and Alan’s voice is tailor-made to recant heroic tales of yore.
My review copy was the Standard release version, but there will be a deluxe package available which will include Alan’s solo version of In Silent Grace, and the band’s cover of Emperor’s The Majesty of the Night Sky.
I didn’t get to hear either, but I’m intrigued to hear that version of In Silent Grace and, well, it’s Winterfylleth doing an Emperor cover! What could go wrong???
Having been a fan of the band since 2010, I’ve always found myself comparing their new records to The Mercian Sphere. After living with The Imperious Horizon for the past month, I think I’m going to have to accept there’s a new metric against which to judge.
