Review by Chris Pratl on February 7, 2019.

After hearing Winterburst's demo a couple of years back I was so impressed I ordered a CD from the band. While I'm not big on keyboards (meaning...practically hate) in metal music with rare exceptions, this symphonic black project really captured my attention. Naturally, I was quite anticipatory of the band's first full-length, and so it has arrived with my curiosity piqued.

The Mind Cave reads something like a grand conceptual piece, though, in all honesty, I wasn't able to find out if this is the case. The album begins with “A Mirror's Game”, which lays on the keys pretty heavily, but it's not a nearly a nuisance. Rather, the atmosphere created within those 88 little criminals actually seems to work very well for Winterburst and a select few other bands. As much as I hate to throw wanton comparisons around, the band's current effort reminds me quite a bit of Carach Angren from the Netherlands, who is currently making some tremendous noise around the metal world. The same basic formula is there, and that's quite the positive. There's the genuine feeling of a 'full', entrancing vehicle made specifically to transport you from one realm of consciousness to another, completely at the behest of the band. The guitars finally take precedence in the second track, “The Mind's Cave”, showcasing some chugging riffs that take black metal to its logical (albeit thicker-sounding) next plateau. The band has some definitive talent, and the arrangement of these tracks shows some musical introspection and indelible knowledge of the music at hand. 

The vocals are your garden-variety shrieking, but as with any attempt at modern black metal (or ancient BM, come to think of it) these vocals are essentially the accepted and anticipated norm. Unlike Carach Angren whose sound is literally overflowing with grandiose musical statements, Winterburst takes the similar high road and keeps it highly grand as well; the keyboards are an important element for the band's brand of blackness, so for a guy like me that sees no viable place for any keyboard to take the place of a guitar this is the perfect and intelligent utilization for the instrument. The imagery created with those black-and-whites, particularly in “The Immortals”, is exactly what this medium calls for, and the French guys have it. 

What helps the album achieve such resonance and interest is the fact that there is no true selling over to the commercialism of the stepchild of black metal. That is, so many bands now are vying in vain to re-create the medium and alter, however criminally, the original idea that one can't help but be disillusioned at any given turn. It's bands like Winterburst or Carach Angren that keep us all honest and satiated, providing a sort of blackened opera that can create all of the visuals Burzum or Sacramentum once held true, but on the larger, more rounded scale. The Mind Cave offers the fan a genuine effort void of droning ambiance (that really says nothing and leads nowhere) and attempts to lift the mind and spirit in one fell swoop, which is no easy task today. The occasional dabbling from acoustically-driven passages (“Insanitarium”) to a full-on metal assault (“ The Ancestral Ritual”) gives absolute flavor to the record without bending the principle in the process. I saw some great things for these guys two-years ago, and I'm glad to see that they not only built upon the creative sparks of the Winterburst demo, but took the concept and ran with it in the right direction! 

With a production thick with heaviness and aura, The Mind Cave resounds through the recesses of the forlorn soul and weights down the air so as to find the perfect crevices to seep out like a fog and cause havoc from within. Overall the debut is a great step forward with hopes of keeping the line going for the next few records as well.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

(Originally written for www.metalpsalter.com)

Review by Chris Pratl on February 7, 2019.

After hearing Winterburst's demo a couple of years back I was so impressed I ordered a CD from the band. While I'm not big on keyboards (meaning...practically hate) in metal music with rare exceptions, this symphonic black project really captured my attention. Naturally, I was quite anticipatory of the band's first full-length, and so it has arrived with my curiosity piqued.

The Mind Cave reads something like a grand conceptual piece, though, in all honesty, I wasn't able to find out if this is the case. The album begins with “A Mirror's Game”, which lays on the keys pretty heavily, but it's not a nearly a nuisance. Rather, the atmosphere created within those 88 little criminals actually seems to work very well for Winterburst and a select few other bands. As much as I hate to throw wanton comparisons around, the band's current effort reminds me quite a bit of Carach Angren from the Netherlands, who is currently making some tremendous noise around the metal world. The same basic formula is there, and that's quite the positive. There's the genuine feeling of a 'full', entrancing vehicle made specifically to transport you from one realm of consciousness to another, completely at the behest of the band. The guitars finally take precedence in the second track, “The Mind's Cave”, showcasing some chugging riffs that take black metal to its logical (albeit thicker-sounding) next plateau. The band has some definitive talent, and the arrangement of these tracks shows some musical introspection and indelible knowledge of the music at hand. 

The vocals are your garden-variety shrieking, but as with any attempt at modern black metal (or ancient BM, come to think of it) these vocals are essentially the accepted and anticipated norm. Unlike Carach Angren whose sound is literally overflowing with grandiose musical statements, Winterburst takes the similar high road and keeps it highly grand as well; the keyboards are an important element for the band's brand of blackness, so for a guy like me that sees no viable place for any keyboard to take the place of a guitar this is the perfect and intelligent utilization for the instrument. The imagery created with those black-and-whites, particularly in “The Immortals”, is exactly what this medium calls for, and the French guys have it. 

What helps the album achieve such resonance and interest is the fact that there is no true selling over to the commercialism of the stepchild of black metal. That is, so many bands now are vying in vain to re-create the medium and alter, however criminally, the original idea that one can't help but be disillusioned at any given turn. It's bands like Winterburst or Carach Angren that keep us all honest and satiated, providing a sort of blackened opera that can create all of the visuals Burzum or Sacramentum once held true, but on the larger, more rounded scale. The Mind Cave offers the fan a genuine effort void of droning ambiance (that really says nothing and leads nowhere) and attempts to lift the mind and spirit in one fell swoop, which is no easy task today. The occasional dabbling from acoustically-driven passages (“Insanitarium”) to a full-on metal assault (“ The Ancestral Ritual”) gives absolute flavor to the record without bending the principle in the process. I saw some great things for these guys two-years ago, and I'm glad to see that they not only built upon the creative sparks of the Winterburst demo, but took the concept and ran with it in the right direction! 

With a production thick with heaviness and aura, The Mind Cave resounds through the recesses of the forlorn soul and weights down the air so as to find the perfect crevices to seep out like a fog and cause havoc from within. Overall the debut is a great step forward with hopes of keeping the line going for the next few records as well.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

(Originally written for www.metalpsalter.com)

Review by Chris Pratl on February 7, 2019.

After hearing Winterburst's demo a couple of years back I was so impressed I ordered a CD from the band. While I'm not big on keyboards (meaning...practically hate) in metal music with rare exceptions, this symphonic black project really captured my attention. Naturally, I was quite anticipatory of the band's first full-length, and so it has arrived with my curiosity piqued.

The Mind Cave reads something like a grand conceptual piece, though, in all honesty, I wasn't able to find out if this is the case. The album begins with “A Mirror's Game”, which lays on the keys pretty heavily, but it's not a nearly a nuisance. Rather, the atmosphere created within those 88 little criminals actually seems to work very well for Winterburst and a select few other bands. As much as I hate to throw wanton comparisons around, the band's current effort reminds me quite a bit of Carach Angren from the Netherlands, who is currently making some tremendous noise around the metal world. The same basic formula is there, and that's quite the positive. There's the genuine feeling of a 'full', entrancing vehicle made specifically to transport you from one realm of consciousness to another, completely at the behest of the band. The guitars finally take precedence in the second track, “The Mind's Cave”, showcasing some chugging riffs that take black metal to its logical (albeit thicker-sounding) next plateau. The band has some definitive talent, and the arrangement of these tracks shows some musical introspection and indelible knowledge of the music at hand. 

The vocals are your garden-variety shrieking, but as with any attempt at modern black metal (or ancient BM, come to think of it) these vocals are essentially the accepted and anticipated norm. Unlike Carach Angren whose sound is literally overflowing with grandiose musical statements, Winterburst takes the similar high road and keeps it highly grand as well; the keyboards are an important element for the band's brand of blackness, so for a guy like me that sees no viable place for any keyboard to take the place of a guitar this is the perfect and intelligent utilization for the instrument. The imagery created with those black-and-whites, particularly in “The Immortals”, is exactly what this medium calls for, and the French guys have it. 

What helps the album achieve such resonance and interest is the fact that there is no true selling over to the commercialism of the stepchild of black metal. That is, so many bands now are vying in vain to re-create the medium and alter, however criminally, the original idea that one can't help but be disillusioned at any given turn. It's bands like Winterburst or Carach Angren that keep us all honest and satiated, providing a sort of blackened opera that can create all of the visuals Burzum or Sacramentum once held true, but on the larger, more rounded scale. The Mind Cave offers the fan a genuine effort void of droning ambiance (that really says nothing and leads nowhere) and attempts to lift the mind and spirit in one fell swoop, which is no easy task today. The occasional dabbling from acoustically-driven passages (“Insanitarium”) to a full-on metal assault (“ The Ancestral Ritual”) gives absolute flavor to the record without bending the principle in the process. I saw some great things for these guys two-years ago, and I'm glad to see that they not only built upon the creative sparks of the Winterburst demo, but took the concept and ran with it in the right direction! 

With a production thick with heaviness and aura, The Mind Cave resounds through the recesses of the forlorn soul and weights down the air so as to find the perfect crevices to seep out like a fog and cause havoc from within. Overall the debut is a great step forward with hopes of keeping the line going for the next few records as well.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

(Originally written for www.metalpsalter.com)

Review by Felix on December 4, 2019.

Since two and a half decades, Unleashed plough through the incrusted soil of death metal. Thanks to their (slightly overrated) debut, they accelerated from zero to one hundred in a matter of seconds. During the following years, they released tons of good songs but although a few albums that failed to reach their high standard. These albums were the direct predecessors of Sworn Allegiance so that the here described album came as a pleasant surprise. It showed an inspired band that celebrated its second coming. Unleashed had regained its once infectious energy and this circumstance resulted in a lot of absolutely amazing songs. But before I deal with the tracks in detail, let us have a look at the production. The powerful, sometimes rubbing guitars and the natural drums provide the foundation for Jonny Hedlund´s voluminous voice. As usual, his vocals do not sparkle with variety, but he does his job with devotion and makes his voice heard in a courageous manner. I like his style of singing because he does not belong to the "I can only growl" category. In short, raise the horns for the technical implementation of the 14 numbers and enjoy the sound.

Now it is time to exercise carefully the song material. Of course, Unleashed do not betray the Gods of death metal and complexity is still an unknown component to them. Yet they are not primitive. Painfully simple tunes like "The Immortals" do not occur. Speaking of simple things, let me draw a veil of silence over some of the lyrics. For example, "CEO" is overloaded with imbecile clichés so that my last brain cells (the ones that survived my headbanging sessions during the eighties) want to commit suicide. Furthermore, lines such as "I only fuck the dead" do definitely not belong to the most poetic works ever. Apart from that, one can only say that shit happens, Mr. Hedlund; I have a different conception of a fulfilled sex life. But I wanted to inform you about the songs themselves. Unleashed bomb us with a mixture of rapid and mid-paced songs that show the ingenuity of well executed Swedish death metal. The high-speed tunes conquer your auditory canals without any detours. Catchiness, aggression and dynamism meet on an equal footing. This results in unfussy highlights like "Destruction (of the Race of Men)", "Attack!", "Praised be the Lord" or "Long Live the Beast". Exactly this way of proceeding was missing on Warrior and Victory. These songs bring back pleasant memories of the fast-paced classics of their first outputs while sweeping away the vapid aftertaste of the boring numbers of the aforementioned works.

Their mid-tempo songs are not generally weaker. Inter alia due to its Viking lyrics, "The Longships Are Coming" is 100% Unleashed and shines with good riffs and drilling solo guitars. "To Miklagård" marks another successful example of the combination of historical lyrics and a more or less sedately rhythmic approach. Anyway, due to my universal affinity for high velocity songs, I prefer the more rapid outbursts of the album - an album that does not suffer from any serious defects. Admittedly, the grain of unpredictability is missing. But with regard to tradition-conscious bands in general, this is a widespread problem and no big deal. To have the "right" attitude is of higher value. Additionally, no throwaway composition damages the flow. The 45 minutes appear as exactly the right length. For the vast majority of death metal maniacs, this time is well spent. Coherent songs have right of way and any kind of technical ecstasy must wait. It sounds rather ironic, but the rediscovery of their roots pushes the band forward.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 4, 2019.

Since two and a half decades, Unleashed plough through the incrusted soil of death metal. Thanks to their (slightly overrated) debut, they accelerated from zero to one hundred in a matter of seconds. During the following years, they released tons of good songs but although a few albums that failed to reach their high standard. These albums were the direct predecessors of Sworn Allegiance so that the here described album came as a pleasant surprise. It showed an inspired band that celebrated its second coming. Unleashed had regained its once infectious energy and this circumstance resulted in a lot of absolutely amazing songs. But before I deal with the tracks in detail, let us have a look at the production. The powerful, sometimes rubbing guitars and the natural drums provide the foundation for Jonny Hedlund´s voluminous voice. As usual, his vocals do not sparkle with variety, but he does his job with devotion and makes his voice heard in a courageous manner. I like his style of singing because he does not belong to the "I can only growl" category. In short, raise the horns for the technical implementation of the 14 numbers and enjoy the sound.

Now it is time to exercise carefully the song material. Of course, Unleashed do not betray the Gods of death metal and complexity is still an unknown component to them. Yet they are not primitive. Painfully simple tunes like "The Immortals" do not occur. Speaking of simple things, let me draw a veil of silence over some of the lyrics. For example, "CEO" is overloaded with imbecile clichés so that my last brain cells (the ones that survived my headbanging sessions during the eighties) want to commit suicide. Furthermore, lines such as "I only fuck the dead" do definitely not belong to the most poetic works ever. Apart from that, one can only say that shit happens, Mr. Hedlund; I have a different conception of a fulfilled sex life. But I wanted to inform you about the songs themselves. Unleashed bomb us with a mixture of rapid and mid-paced songs that show the ingenuity of well executed Swedish death metal. The high-speed tunes conquer your auditory canals without any detours. Catchiness, aggression and dynamism meet on an equal footing. This results in unfussy highlights like "Destruction (of the Race of Men)", "Attack!", "Praised be the Lord" or "Long Live the Beast". Exactly this way of proceeding was missing on Warrior and Victory. These songs bring back pleasant memories of the fast-paced classics of their first outputs while sweeping away the vapid aftertaste of the boring numbers of the aforementioned works.

Their mid-tempo songs are not generally weaker. Inter alia due to its Viking lyrics, "The Longships Are Coming" is 100% Unleashed and shines with good riffs and drilling solo guitars. "To Miklagård" marks another successful example of the combination of historical lyrics and a more or less sedately rhythmic approach. Anyway, due to my universal affinity for high velocity songs, I prefer the more rapid outbursts of the album - an album that does not suffer from any serious defects. Admittedly, the grain of unpredictability is missing. But with regard to tradition-conscious bands in general, this is a widespread problem and no big deal. To have the "right" attitude is of higher value. Additionally, no throwaway composition damages the flow. The 45 minutes appear as exactly the right length. For the vast majority of death metal maniacs, this time is well spent. Coherent songs have right of way and any kind of technical ecstasy must wait. It sounds rather ironic, but the rediscovery of their roots pushes the band forward.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10