‘The Imperious Horizon’ by Winterfylleth
‘The Imperious Horizon’ by Winterfylleth
The United Kingdom is perfect for black metal. Medieval castles and Gothic churches are planted throughout rolling, overcast gray hills littered with ancient tombstones. No band from the area might capitalize and capture this sense better than Winterfylleth. With a focus on Ancient British history, Anglo-Saxon literature, and the UK’s various landscapes, Winterfylleth has established itself as one of the premiere atmospheric black metal artists, landing gigs at Bloodstock and featuring an expansive discography of now eight full-length albums. The band’s latest release, The Imperious Horizon, continues to tap into Winterfylleth’s devotion to crafting no-frills, top-tier, atmospheric, epic black metal.
“First Light” leads in with ethereal, somber strings evoking the high, snow-coating mountain peaks displayed on the album’s cover before letting loose a ferocious avalanche with “Like Brimming Fire.” However, Winterfylleth doesn’t let the song tip into a purely raw and brutal territory, as they keep atmospheric trills and chorals beneath the menacing, pounding drums and chaotic riffing. Like many greats of black metal, Winterfylleth demonstrates a clear understanding of balancing grit and grandiose sounds.
This balance between the hostility and beauty of the United Kingdom’s landscape and history is made all the more apparent throughout The Imperious Horizon’s next songs, “Dishonour Enthroned” and “Upon This Shore.” Both tracks, inspired by 14th- and 15th-century poetry, bring an epic grandeur to reflecting on the various ways that forces may tame, overpower, or subdue those attempting to survive and thrive in a dangerous yet beautiful land, whether it be a guileful fox or a “Damon.”
The album’s title track shows even more willingness on Winterfylleth’s part to indulge in a truly operatic, extravagant song that employs choirs of synths with a stadium rock breakdown before transforming into a contemplative, sweeping conclusion questioning how we can maintain hope and courage as we witness forces of light and darkness take over our world.
Although most of The Imperious Horizon offers epic, 7+ minute long songs, Winterfylleth includes a surprise, short ripper towards the album’s conclusion. “To The Edge of Tyranny” captures the opening’s ferocity while incorporating subtle elements of groove and sludge metal, leading to a standout song that fights against the manufactured nihilism brought forth by accepting a hopeless stance against tyranny. If you isolate the lyrics, it could be mistaken for a more positive hardcore or punk song, but instead, Winterfylleth lets their medieval synth influence kick in throughout it, creating a bombastic, 4-minute track that’s as enjoyable as it is timely and poignant.
Winterfylleth closes the album with an on-brand atmospheric track empowering its listeners to take heart against the desecration of lands, whether it be from tyrants waging war or industrialization. Though it might be a specific historical reference, there’s something certainly Tolkien about the song our readers will appreciate. The Imperious Horizon is a prime example of how to do atmospheric black metal right. It tows the listener between the lines of bleak and inspirational, between hope and despair, and between brutal and beautiful. The Imperious Horizon sits firmly in Winterfylleth’s career as an achievement, and we hope to see the band moving on to bigger stages and bigger albums after it.
You can follow Winterfylleth on Bandcamp, Instagram, and Facebook.
