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Fellwinter
“The Dawn of Winter” (Blood & Crescent, 2023)

Black Metal has become, in most cases, just another musical genre. Without the element of Fear or Depravity, most replications of the music sound uninspired and, I dare say, false. Where to my standards stand in terms of analyzing Music in such a way? Well, they stand pretty high, I guess. Black Metal is more than just a musical genre, period. Some might disagree, stating that this is just rubbish; nevertheless, I cannot look at it differently. Thankfully many Artists have shown us that the genre has a deeper meaning to them, and their music is a vehicle, much like Hardcore Punk in the 80ies. Today we will dwell into an act that I, personally, feel is honest enough to the genre to provoke such emotions. We cannot assess all that from music alone, but we can feel it from music alone. Odd, I know…



Fellwinter was born from the union of 2 musicians that have given us plenty of examples of how Black Metal should sound today - at least from my perspective, of course - and this entity is another of those examples. Arbor and Gauntlet Ring are amongst the very few acts that excite me, today, in the global Black Metal scene. Taurus and Mercenary have offered us their vision of Black Metal through 3 acts that work as perfect homages to a genre that goes beyond the Music. Fellwinter is, along with the mentioned two other projects, delicate replications of what Black Metal has best. Melody and Aggressiveness, well-balanced and well-structured. There is a scent that is very… singular.



With the exception of a few selected Artists, the more recent USBM scene continues to sound, look, and behave, very childish and ordinary. And this puzzles me, honestly. Acts like Judas Iscariot or Leviathan, different, yet so aligned with each other, were fundamental pieces in taking the USBM scene far beyond the geographical frontiers, to see “their” scene be pushed around and mistreated. Well, I might be exaggerating a wee bit, but the truth is that both Akhenaten and Wrest gave their all for Art, and we felt that through the music. This does sound like the mind of an old man slowly decaying, angry at the World, but…



“The Dawn of Winter” is the band’s 2nd Full-length album, and follower to “Night of the Blood”, another perfect example of Black Metal mastery. 36 minutes and 24 seconds is all it takes to craft this monstrous piece of Dark and Pagan music. No Folk elements here, just the scent of sweet music. It sounds medieval, and I know this might sound strange and odd, but I love it when Black Metal leaves me with the idea of ancient atmospheres and places. It resembles a call to arms, to war, to fury! A belligerent posture and aura soar above us, feeding our spirit. Fellwinter is an homage to ancient melodies via the means of today. It does not sound dated, yet it does not sound completely contemporary, and I reckon that is what makes it this outstanding piece of Dark Arts.



Blood and Crescent

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