Review by Levi on February 29, 2024.

It's hard to write reviews of your friends' albums. Hard for many reasons and I will not elaborate. I will only add that I know this band from the first rehearsals, first songs, first recordings. Well, I must admit that I've been rooting for them since the very beginning. However, I will try to approach the new album with the appropriate distance.

It must be said that on its third album Kalt Vindur has definitely matured. Magna Mater is the most coherent material, created by a fully conscious, well-coordinated band despite the fact that there are many different influences and inspirations in their playing. Nonetheless, they try to create something of their own by playing with the atmosphere especially. That's why there are a lot of acoustic guitars here, harmonies, riffs, different vocals, tempo changes or licks that create a specific and disturbing aura. Although on the other hand, just like in the title track that opens the album, you can still hear the old and proven song licks known from the first albums of Christ Agony or Moospell, and in closing ‘Mist Over Cergova’ - Opeth. And here is where I am missing a bit of madness, something unconventional, something that would have carried it away, something that would have flowed stronger. There are several such fragments. Fortunately, there's a lot going on for most of the album's duration, more non-obvious and less clichéd things.

Magna Mater is definitely their best material and generally a very good album that stands out on the national scene. I'm still rooting for them and I'm waiting for the proverbial "i" to be dotted next time.

Rating: 7.3 out of 10