Review by Felix on May 28, 2023.

The heavy metal world has seen so many useless intros that nobody knows its exact number. Either way, it feels good to listen to "The Calling", the short instrumental opening of "Death from Above". Gloomy, sharp guitars draw the listener immediately into the second album of Greece's thrashing horde called Riffobia. This prelude is atmospheric yet metallic and points directly into the right direction. Riffobia made us familiar with the "Laws of Devastation", but now they bring us "Death from Above" and it seems as if the guys are still in rage. "Ritual", the first regular song, fires its deadly load into the audience in a strict, straight and merciless manner. Raw vocals, slicing guitars and somersaulting drums coalesce perfectly in order to show the world the power of ferocious Greek thrash once again and hell yes, I am impressed. The pretty casual riffing of "Laws of Devastation" has given way to a more brutal way of proceeding and many questions come to mind. When did Slayer forget how to write such songs? Why is such an album limited to 500 copies? Who is able to press the stop button on her or his stereo system as long as the album is running?

Broadly speaking, the whole first half of the output celebrates an orgy of high velocity, grim energy and musical competence. Due to the latter, all songs have the necessary iota of melodies without being melodic in any way. The speedy rhythms dominate the sound and sometimes it seems as if the very dynamic but never jittery band flies. This is old school thrash with a brutal, contemporary production and it is hardly possible to be not infected by the overdose of aggression that is conveyed by songs like "Endless Agony" with its pinpoint gang shouts or "Faceless" which shines with a brief but brilliant solo part. Nobody can stop the bloody feast of the dudes and so they split skulls by the dozens in a humourless manner. Maybe some thrash metal separatists are of the opinion that fans of old Sodom albums or comparable works will not enjoy the here reviewed album, because it has no rumbling sections. Instead, Riffobia offer a very precise and bone-dry form of thrash. But I am the living proof that one can enjoy both types. Therefore, I see no reason in taking part in this academic discussion.

The sixth track starts the second half and it takes the liberty of having a short warm-up period, before the sharp-edged riffing of the rasping guitars gains the upper hand again. Admittedly, the offerings from number six to ten are less compelling than those of the first half. Nevertheless, Riffobia present more than solid songs and their technical skills are beyond doubt. The title track marks the climax of the second half. Its vibrant riffs take possession of every eighties-loving thrasher and the rasping guitars shape another jewel. No doubt, the Greeks have increased their level of quality. Their songs are still compact and without a single gram of fat, but the riffs are simply better than before. Material with a duration of less than 32 minutes might not indicate a gargantuan creative potential, but don't jump to conclusions. Sometimes self-restriction is a value in itself, just ask, for example, all those dudes who think they must open their (mostly questionable) full-lengths with opulent yet useless intros or even "overtures", to use their own swanky diction. In the meantime, I listen to "Death from Above".

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Felix on May 28, 2023.

The heavy metal world has seen so many useless intros that nobody knows its exact number. Either way, it feels good to listen to "The Calling", the short instrumental opening of "Death from Above". Gloomy, sharp guitars draw the listener immediately into the second album of Greece's thrashing horde called Riffobia. This prelude is atmospheric yet metallic and points directly into the right direction. Riffobia made us familiar with the "Laws of Devastation", but now they bring us "Death from Above" and it seems as if the guys are still in rage. "Ritual", the first regular song, fires its deadly load into the audience in a strict, straight and merciless manner. Raw vocals, slicing guitars and somersaulting drums coalesce perfectly in order to show the world the power of ferocious Greek thrash once again and hell yes, I am impressed. The pretty casual riffing of "Laws of Devastation" has given way to a more brutal way of proceeding and many questions come to mind. When did Slayer forget how to write such songs? Why is such an album limited to 500 copies? Who is able to press the stop button on her or his stereo system as long as the album is running?

Broadly speaking, the whole first half of the output celebrates an orgy of high velocity, grim energy and musical competence. Due to the latter, all songs have the necessary iota of melodies without being melodic in any way. The speedy rhythms dominate the sound and sometimes it seems as if the very dynamic but never jittery band flies. This is old school thrash with a brutal, contemporary production and it is hardly possible to be not infected by the overdose of aggression that is conveyed by songs like "Endless Agony" with its pinpoint gang shouts or "Faceless" which shines with a brief but brilliant solo part. Nobody can stop the bloody feast of the dudes and so they split skulls by the dozens in a humourless manner. Maybe some thrash metal separatists are of the opinion that fans of old Sodom albums or comparable works will not enjoy the here reviewed album, because it has no rumbling sections. Instead, Riffobia offer a very precise and bone-dry form of thrash. But I am the living proof that one can enjoy both types. Therefore, I see no reason in taking part in this academic discussion.

The sixth track starts the second half and it takes the liberty of having a short warm-up period, before the sharp-edged riffing of the rasping guitars gains the upper hand again. Admittedly, the offerings from number six to ten are less compelling than those of the first half. Nevertheless, Riffobia present more than solid songs and their technical skills are beyond doubt. The title track marks the climax of the second half. Its vibrant riffs take possession of every eighties-loving thrasher and the rasping guitars shape another jewel. No doubt, the Greeks have increased their level of quality. Their songs are still compact and without a single gram of fat, but the riffs are simply better than before. Material with a duration of less than 32 minutes might not indicate a gargantuan creative potential, but don't jump to conclusions. Sometimes self-restriction is a value in itself, just ask, for example, all those dudes who think they must open their (mostly questionable) full-lengths with opulent yet useless intros or even "overtures", to use their own swanky diction. In the meantime, I listen to "Death from Above".

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by HanSathanas on May 13, 2026.

I am so glad to have discovered Paysage d'Hiver. Digging deeper, I have found out that Wintherr is also running another project by the name Darkspace. Despite sounding drastically different from one another, both share a common element that revolves around esoteric subject matters. With Paysage d'Hiver, we are forever entombed by its icy cold propensity, left for dead on plains unknown with this album.

Nacht may not have album of the year material, but it is precisely packed full of cold, frostbitten goodness. The primary instrumentals, namely Des Lichtes Sterben I and II, are so mesmerizing yet foreboding at the same time. Both tracks are fashioned with one thing in mind: evoking a sense of paralysing coldness. The main section consists primarily of a droning, reverberating keyboard with mystical incantation performed to add to the dreadful atmosphere. Wind continues to chime in the background, with howling wolves appearing in and out along the way.

Two black metal tracks on this record are what to be expected from Paysage d'Hiver. The energy is raw. Blast beats are used extensively. While the production job is nowhere near stellar, the core instruments are nominally audible. Lengthy tremolo pickings, pounding double kick drums, I mean, what more could you ask for? The epic runtimes for both Ein Getriebener im Schneetreiben and Finsternis, Tod und Einsamkeit allow the minimal songwriting to slowly hypnotise listeners, drawing them closer to a place where everything dies and snow forever falls. For those of you who are looking to discover great black metal bands, Paysage d'Hiver is one of them, and why not start with this album? Unsurprisingly, the two black metal songs also feature a doomy section with a riff that drags you even further into the land of ice.

The cover of this demo shows frontman Wintherr in his cavernous glory. It pretty much sums up what the whole theme is all about: a solitary fare of monumental self-discovery, that we are closer to nature than we would like to think. Grab this release now before it is too late!

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Review by HanSathanas on May 13, 2026.

I am so glad to have discovered Paysage d'Hiver. Digging deeper, I have found out that Wintherr is also running another project by the name Darkspace. Despite sounding drastically different from one another, both share a common element that revolves around esoteric subject matters. With Paysage d'Hiver, we are forever entombed by its icy cold propensity, left for dead on plains unknown with this album.

Nacht may not have album of the year material, but it is precisely packed full of cold, frostbitten goodness. The primary instrumentals, namely Des Lichtes Sterben I and II, are so mesmerizing yet foreboding at the same time. Both tracks are fashioned with one thing in mind: evoking a sense of paralysing coldness. The main section consists primarily of a droning, reverberating keyboard with mystical incantation performed to add to the dreadful atmosphere. Wind continues to chime in the background, with howling wolves appearing in and out along the way.

Two black metal tracks on this record are what to be expected from Paysage d'Hiver. The energy is raw. Blast beats are used extensively. While the production job is nowhere near stellar, the core instruments are nominally audible. Lengthy tremolo pickings, pounding double kick drums, I mean, what more could you ask for? The epic runtimes for both Ein Getriebener im Schneetreiben and Finsternis, Tod und Einsamkeit allow the minimal songwriting to slowly hypnotise listeners, drawing them closer to a place where everything dies and snow forever falls. For those of you who are looking to discover great black metal bands, Paysage d'Hiver is one of them, and why not start with this album? Unsurprisingly, the two black metal songs also feature a doomy section with a riff that drags you even further into the land of ice.

The cover of this demo shows frontman Wintherr in his cavernous glory. It pretty much sums up what the whole theme is all about: a solitary fare of monumental self-discovery, that we are closer to nature than we would like to think. Grab this release now before it is too late!

Rating: 8.7 out of 10