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/:: 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. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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