Review by Felix on January 1, 2023.

When considering the total population, Sweden is probably the most creative country in terms of metal. Suicidal Winds belongs to the grim hordes of this beautiful land. The band unites all types of extreme metal so that you are confronted with a bastard of black thrashing death metal. Because of this combination, the usual ingredients of Swedish death metal do not appear. Neither extremely low tuned guitars nor deep growling characterise the music on this album. The lead vocalist prefers an appropriate mixture of vicious nagging and hoarse screaming. Aggressiveness is the engine of his performance. The same applies to the contribution of his comrades. The guitars sound powerful and brutal while being accompanied by a very present bass. The mix also does not neglect the permanently hammering drums. This ensures that the high speed drumming reveals its full effect. All these factors lead to a dense and fairly dark sound.

Suicidal Winds presents hectic segments, for example during the slightly chaotic opener, as well as rarely surfacing atmospheric sections. Here I refer to the instrumental middle-part of the best track called "Storms of Hell". Wind comes up, a bell is ringing; this is nothing exceptional, but always effective. Nevertheless, the songs barrel along like German tanks during the first two years of World War II. While being not interested in epic tunes, the band celebrates eleven sonic battles. The restless Swedes keep an eye on vigorous guitar lines and wuthering riffs. They do not create an unique mix of extreme metal elements. But this does not matter at all. The music leaves its mark, not least because of the rigorous stubbornness of the musicians who only know one direction. Complicated rhythms or fashionable guitar gimmicks do not show up. A stupid approach? I do not think so. The band just sees no sense in delivering technical knickknack. But this is almost a matter of course in view of the here presented style. It is, however, also correct that the band does not follow the one-riff-per-song formula.

The stereotyped lyrics deal with the usual nonsense and the songs do not differ significantly from each other. If you know one track, you know them all. And if you like one of them, you will like them all. Due to this situation, the record falls under the category "love it or hate it". I choose the first alternative, because the full-length possesses a couple of captivating songs. For example, "Morbid Temptation" shines with its vibrant chorus. The same goes for "Lord of Abyss" which also delivers a stormy ending. The list could be continued. To make a long story short, we must survive ten violent outbursts before the cautious final number heralds the end of an album that should not be ignored.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by chrisc7249 on January 8, 2023.

Talk about some astonishing funeral doom built off of a lot of emotion… these American funeral experts were only around for a short time, but they produced at least one (haven't heard the second record) gloomy, sorrowful release that exceeded my expectations by a great margin. Not only is it depressing as all hell, but it is extremely powerful in its delivery and will have any fan of slow, deep music coming back for more.

What's made me keep coming back to this album time and time again is undoubtedly its massive atmosphere, catapulted into glorious territory with majestic melodies that shroud the listener in a cloak of despair. They're very nostalgic, timeless and surprisingly catchy, and never fails to put me in a trance whenever I decide to throw this album on. This is exceedingly true on the first two tracks, the second one being my favorite with its torrential build ups that explode into a sea of beauty when the time is just right. They never keep you guessing on what's going to come next, releasing the energy on point, but they also never become predictable enough to where you roll your eyes and let out a sigh. "A Clarion Call" feels familiar in the sense that you'll feel right at home listening to it as you're draped in the emotions of yesteryear, and the sense of Melancholy overwhelms.

The vocals are dynamic, complete with your ominous funeral growls as well as some deep clean singing, done by three different voices, including John Gossard of Weakling fame… there's also some haunting cello lines sprinkled throughout the record that add an extra coating of atmosphere without coming across as gimmicky or nerdy. The production is thick, bulging with aggression, but also not too raw, which I've found to be a problem associated with a lot of the earlier funeral doom albums, say, the ones from the 90s.

Anyone on the lookout for some dense and gorgeous slow music that doesn't mind extreme vocals will find something to love about this album, guaranteed. I personally love that, excluding the last track, which is essentially 11 minutes of silence, this record is very compact! The three tracks tally only 40 minutes, so it does not overstay its welcome any. As of writing this… this is my favorite funeral doom record.

Rating: 8 out of 10