No bagpipes or dancing around in your furs for these guys. Winterfylleth’s sound is at the same time expansive, yet also stripped down, relying purely on their songwriting skills and a standard rock instumentarium to tell the stories of yore.

So strong is their confidence in their own craft, that across nine albums they have seldom seen the need to stray from their course. Maybe the acoustic ‘Hallowing of Heirdom’ is the only exception to that theorem. Apart from that, their output has been very consistent, both in content, approach and quality.

There is, of course, another side to that coin, Naughton, Deeks and co will seldom take you head over heels into uncharted waters. You know exactly what you’ve sailed to their shores for. Expect an ice-cold welcome of razor-sharp black metal.

Such is the case with ‘Heroes of a Hundred Fields’ and ‘Echoes in the After’. that launch the charge in full gallop and lay waste to all that stand before them. The next two tracks are a bit more nuanced, giving Deeks a bit more rein on the keys. Especially ‘Perdition’s Flame’ burns particularly bright. Halfway through the record, the songs shift in ambiance. Instead of the blistering black that came before, the album tilts in an opposite direction after the title track with the acoustic interlude ‘Unspoken Elegy’ that features mournful cello parts courtesy of Arthur Thompson who also contributed on the previous record, reinforcing both its inherent melancholy and the medieval vibe.

This sets the mood for ‘In Ashen Wake’, which is every bit as dismal as the title would suggest, seeping in with some ambient synths that progress into one of the finer tracks on display here. In general, I would say that the first half of the record is uncompromisingly relentless in its fury while the second half is much more dynamic and adventurous with ‘Towards Elysium’ even giving a few nods to a more old school Swedish melodeth vibe.  ‘Where Dreams Once Grew’ closed the actual album down in another accoustic display.

Tucked away at the very end, we even get an unexpected gift as they cover ‘Enchantment’, the opening track from Paradise Lost’s fabled ‘Draconian Times’ album.  It’s a wonderful rendition that stays pretty close to the original with some pretty decent clean vocals from Naughton.

In summary, the band has once again penned an entrancing set of fierce black metal evoking magnificent scenes from the dark medieval times of Britain. Accomplishing this nine times in a row without faltering is a feat worthy of celebration in itself and definitely worthy of your attention.

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