Review by JD on April 22, 2014.

As a bona fide Canadian metalhead, I do take pleasure in finding bands here in our freezing cold wastelands that blow the doors off of most. Canadian metal is simply fucking good, and there are many that fit that description. Here to prove this piece of headbanging info is Calgary based old school blackened thrash trio Blackrat.

Taking a nearly lo-fi approach to their black/thrash in the vein of such bands as Mayhem, Celtic Frost and Bathory (old), these guys are not fucking around. With thick pounding riffs and evil vocals growling from the bowels of the earth, the music invokes the early 80’s black metal, and has Satan breathing new life in to it all.

I was intrigued as the doom metal-ish intro rumbled through, then knocked on my ass when the album kicked into its black/thrash gear. Tracks like the evil exploding album’s title track to the insane brutality of "Black Thrashing Massacre" show the power that old school still holds for the newer musicians. The whole disk holds this vibe throughout – never once backing off of the accelerator. A true metal album, in the classic Canadian assaultive way.

I think this is one hell of a record that Blackrat has delivered for us all. Ignoring a few recording glitches that even a purposely done Lo-Fi approach can’t ignore, the album is nothing new and yet so powerful and rich with flying hooks and insane heaviness in its own way. Blackrat may not have invented anything new here, but they have delivered a fresh take on a somewhat lost art in metal. For me, that is a win for Canadian metal for its march for domination.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Adam M on July 24, 2015.

This is music that is raw and has folk elements blended in. The overall aesthetic is close to a combination between Drudkh and Agalloch. Though the music is somewhat derivative, it is nonetheless powerful and gripping. This is music for the atmospheric metal fan as can be seen with the number of dynamics the band applies. The underlying problem with Winterfylleth is that their music can be a little raw. This is overcome with the use of folk elements, however.

The overall sound of this band can also be likened to Fen because the mid-range mood is similar to what is achieved by that band. Like many folk acts the normal songs are interspersed with acoustic interludes. The normal songs themselves are driven along by repetitive drum patterns and grandiose guitar riffs. Again, much like Fen or Drudkh, the guitars combine epic and dark mood contrasts to fit in appropriately within the context of the album. The overall effect is an overwhelming one as the listener becomes enveloped by the atmospheric guitars. I was thinking that this album could still use more of the uplifting moody nature that Primordial brings to the table. The music is exciting, but sounds a bit stale and could use a lift in the amount of colour used. Rather than sticking to a monotone palette, the band could expand into different dimensions of sound. Despite having acoustic elements intertwined, it still feels like this band needs to expand with more variation.

Still, with the solid production in tow, The Divination of Antiquity is still an improvement over previous material from this band. This is because Winterfylleth has grasped the thick sound of the guitar riffs it uses and made those stand strong above the rest of the music. If the outfit added different types of vocals and ironed out the small items I’ve previously mentioned, they should be a strong folk music contender in the future.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10