Review by Felix on April 28, 2019.

Necrodeath are an institution, no doubt at all. With the exception of the experimental (or let's say lousy) Draculea, they have been completely immune against mediocrity. Nevertheless, there exists an ambivalent facet. The Italians always loved to recycle their own material and both their debut and Fragments of Insanity have been kept alive by many alternative versions of classics on the albums that have been released since the reunion of the formation. In my humble opinion, this has had a dubious touch, because new songs are always a greater creative challenge than the re-recording of old material. Aggravating this situation, the regular albums of Necrodeath do not suffer from overly opulent playtimes, to express it politely. But now the band has taken the next step in terms of recycling: welcome to the complete re-recording of Fragments of Insanity.

Originally released in 1989, the album mirrored the move from an almost heavy-handed black horror metal combo to a serious trash formation. Nevertheless, the band did not lose its two main features on the way from the dark domain to the territory of thrash: There is still a threatening atmosphere and it would be foolish to expect any form of clemency. Of course, the expressive and passionate vocals of Flegias, who was no part of the line-up back in 1989, emphasize these features and give the re-recording a new element. This ruffian has always been a hellish weapon and his style of singing is just one new detail - it goes without saying that the here presented form of the compositions benefit from a brilliant, contemporary mix. I guess it is impossible to create a more direct, straighter and sharper sound than Necrodeath have done here. Especially the guitar sound is overwhelming. Many newcomers will lower their heads ashamedly when they lend an ear to this manifesto of thrashing evil. However, it lies in the eyes of the beholder - is this immaculate production an improvement or has the material lost its slightly dusty flair?

From my point of view, the formation has treated its early outburst with dignity. The re-recording is a typical Necrodeath work and the spirit, the attitude and the mentality of the dudes shimmer through every note. I really like the fact that they deny getting old; Defragments of Insanity takes the listener on a wild, violent and merciless ride and the minimal change of the album's title indicates the degree of changes concerning the musical content. All new versions lie in close proximity to the original songs. And it goes without saying that these songs always had a lot of power, some catchy elements while delivering a pretty engaging spectacle. Finally, the new artwork resembles the original cover as well. Taking all these things into consideration, I cannot deny that Necrodeath have been successful. They have recorded a strong, brutal and intense album and Peso has probably killed a dozen of innocent drum kits in view of his ruthless yet highly demanding performance. Thus, two hearts beat in my chest. Even though I wish they had recorded some new tunes, an EP or just a single, I must admit: this re-recording fascinates me, at least to a certain degree. Guess I have heard the best unnecessary album of the year.

Rating: 8.1 out of 10

Review by Adam M on May 14, 2019.

This album has the imprint of John Arch and Jim Matheos all over it, though it features a number of other excellent musicians as well.  Arch’s characteristic high pitched and nasally croon nicely fits over the top of these tracks.  There is a wonderful atmosphere that the album title nicely reflects in the wintery tone of the songs.  There is a definite throwback to the older Fates Warning material, but nicely put within a more modern context. 

The songs here are tight and well constructed pieces that run for a reasonably long run time to get their point across.  The glory times of Fates Warning have been updated for the present time and are done more effectively than even the band Fates Warning are capable of these days.  There is an extensive use of dramatic dynamics to make things as interesting as possible.  The guitars are done nicely and have a lot of shifts and changes associated with them.  However, it is John Arch’s voice that is the biggest high point on the album.  He sounds like a man half his age on these songs and his voice only accentuates the songs instead of dragging them down.  Could this album be even better?  Yes.  Despite being progressive, the songs could be even more so and more intricate than they are.  There is still a reasonable amount of complexity to be found here.  Also, the songs aren’t quite as memorable as those from the Awaken the Guardian era and take more time to wrap your head around. 

The experience is infinitely worth it, however, as this is one of the best albums of the year.  It has the right atmosphere to pull the listener in at any time and makes for a grand listen that comes to an epic close with Kindred Spirits.  With a few improvements the band could be even better and produce some of the most exciting music of this generation.  Regardless, Winter Ethereal is an excellent release and one that must be checked out by fans of John Arch and Jim Matheos and the early material by Fates Warning featuring Arch.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Adam M on May 14, 2019.

This album has the imprint of John Arch and Jim Matheos all over it, though it features a number of other excellent musicians as well.  Arch’s characteristic high pitched and nasally croon nicely fits over the top of these tracks.  There is a wonderful atmosphere that the album title nicely reflects in the wintery tone of the songs.  There is a definite throwback to the older Fates Warning material, but nicely put within a more modern context. 

The songs here are tight and well constructed pieces that run for a reasonably long run time to get their point across.  The glory times of Fates Warning have been updated for the present time and are done more effectively than even the band Fates Warning are capable of these days.  There is an extensive use of dramatic dynamics to make things as interesting as possible.  The guitars are done nicely and have a lot of shifts and changes associated with them.  However, it is John Arch’s voice that is the biggest high point on the album.  He sounds like a man half his age on these songs and his voice only accentuates the songs instead of dragging them down.  Could this album be even better?  Yes.  Despite being progressive, the songs could be even more so and more intricate than they are.  There is still a reasonable amount of complexity to be found here.  Also, the songs aren’t quite as memorable as those from the Awaken the Guardian era and take more time to wrap your head around. 

The experience is infinitely worth it, however, as this is one of the best albums of the year.  It has the right atmosphere to pull the listener in at any time and makes for a grand listen that comes to an epic close with Kindred Spirits.  With a few improvements the band could be even better and produce some of the most exciting music of this generation.  Regardless, Winter Ethereal is an excellent release and one that must be checked out by fans of John Arch and Jim Matheos and the early material by Fates Warning featuring Arch.

Rating: 8 out of 10