_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/ /// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Old Wainds ::\ :: Album :: Stormheart :: :: Year :: 2024 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CD . :: :: Label :: Darkness Shall Rise Prod. R.date :: 2025-04-30 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: DSR288 S.date :: 2024-11-27 __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 275kbps :.. . Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo . . Size :: 87.95 MB . . . __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 1. Watch the Midnight Unveil 6:54 :: :: 2. Northern Starfall 5:35 :: :: 3. Of Night and Ice 5:01 :: :: 4. In the Heart of the Storm 5:03 :: :: 5. The Eternal, the Dead, the Arcane 6:11 :: :: 6. To the Moonlight 6:45 :: :: 7. Snow Swarm 7:00 :: :: :: :: :: :: ------- :: .. >> 42:29 .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: There have been many great and unexpected comebacks of this :: :: year from all corners of the world, but the one that really :: :: caught me by surprise is the return of the Russian black metal :: :: band Old Wainds, which hadnÆt released anything new for the :: :: last 10 years or so. Once I saw that the band was coming back :: :: with their fifth full-length album Stormheart with the release :: :: date of November 27th, 2024 via Darkness Shall Rise :: :: Productions, I felt as if I had seen the planets align and of :: :: course I wasnÆt going to miss this. Without further ado, letÆs :: :: have a look at this grim and frostbitten monstrosity. :: :: :: :: Right on from the first track ôWatch the Midnight Unveilö, the :: :: excitement builds up so well that you get instantly hooked into :: :: the magic of Stormheart with its master-crafted grim and cold :: :: style of black metal that Old Wainds perfected throughout the :: :: years of spreading darkness. Although the overall approach at :: :: first seems very standard and familiar for anyone that is :: :: heavily into this kind of black metal, it is actually quite :: :: hateful and misanthropic as well, with its dynamic range of :: :: riff ideas that vary from the heavily predominant use of :: :: traditional fast tremolo picking to the mid-tempo heaviness on :: :: ôNorthern Starfallö to the mesmerizing beauty of ôOf Night and :: :: Iceö. There is so much solid gold to be found along the way :: :: apart from the first couple of tracks that are just the tip of :: :: the iceberg, because even though we were off to a good start, :: :: it is just the calm before the storm, that will eventually :: :: manifest itself into a roaring blizzard halfway through as it :: :: progresses track by track. What Old Wainds managed to achieve :: :: so miraculously about this album is the progression, because :: :: every song drags you deeper into the Stormheart, with the :: :: intense and dark atmosphere in their music holding up so well :: :: that you end up being completely possessed by it. It really :: :: gets more musically extreme as it goes along, especially on the :: :: sixth track ôTo the Moonlightö that perhaps showcases their :: :: most extreme performance on the album, but the overall :: :: execution on here is so unbelievably sick that itÆs impossible :: :: to not get immersed into its evil and cold winter spell. If you :: :: expected a grand climax to take place during the closing track :: :: ôSnow Swarmö, then what you seek is what you will get, because :: :: the finale really comes down like an avalanche descending from :: :: the mountain, as it destroys all the living that stands before :: :: it. :: :: :: :: When it comes to the overall songwriting that Old Wainds :: :: incorporated on Stormheart, you can clearly tell that the song :: :: structures are incredibly rich with ideas, which never once :: :: lost their edge with the stylistic consistency that carries :: :: over between the songs. The flow of this album really feels :: :: like one insane journey that brings so much death and mayhem :: :: along the way, where you really donÆt feel like running away :: :: from it, but instead just going more towards the top of the :: :: mountain before reaching the conclusion of this story. One :: :: thing that I must highlight about their songwriting is that no :: :: matter how many traditional black metal elements you will come :: :: across here, all the song ideas feel so fresh and deeply :: :: expressive as well, where nothing at any given moment feels :: :: tedious, repetitive or generic. I think this is a result of :: :: keeping one massive beast under the ice for a total of 10 :: :: years, which remains well preserved and intact for ages, and :: :: once it bursts out into the world it really doesnÆt disappoint. :: :: The band absolutely nailed it from the atmosphere to the :: :: moderately raw yet highly fitting sound production that does :: :: such justice to the entire album, and I think all of it will be :: :: considered some of its everlasting qualities. :: :: :: :: All in all, I canÆt really say anything else that hasnÆt :: :: already been said. Old Wainds have returned with one massive :: :: and menacing beast of an album that is Stormheart, which turned :: :: out to be an incredible journey worth experiencing by every :: :: means. Do not miss out on this one, because this is by far one :: :: of the best black metal albums of this year, which deserves all :: :: the love and support, and I believe there will be many more :: :: diehard fans worldwide that will praise its might and magic :: :: while spreading the word of Old Wainds triumphant return after :: :: 10 years. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2025 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :