Review by Felix on December 10, 2023.

Norrhem's "Koitos" was and still is a great album and therefore it is only logical "Elonkehrä" is confronted with high expectations. But Finnish black metal musicians know no fear and therefore sole composer Valthor and his bandmates took up the challenge. In general, the band has not changed its style, at least not significantly. There is only one song that points into the wrong, an almost commercial direction. "Saarretut" confuses with a Saxon-compatible traditional metal riff and some symphonic parts with clean and / or multi-voiced vocals do not make things better. The song does not totally fall flat and fortunately it also reveals pretty stormy sections. Yet it houses this discomforting Nightwish feeling as well that I cannot ignore and so I am not able to enjoy this piece unconditionally.

Either way, the other tracks are down-to-earth and form a good album. I like the calm, stage-setting intro (too bad that it is summer, this kind of atmospheric intros work much better in autumn) and the main guitar line of "Kali Yugan tulessa" expresses force, depth and self-confidence. The band already showed its talent to combine keyboards and guitars and the interaction of these two elements works again very well. The drums commute between mid-tempo and fast-paced parts and convince with precision. It feels good: without delivering really folkloric sounds, Norrhem are able to create a very natural atmosphere. They also vary the intensity very cleverly and therefore "Kali Yugan tulessa" justifies its prominent position.

This does not mean that the remaining tracks fail to leave their mark. By far not! In particular "Sammas" mirrors the whole glory of Scandinavian black metal, because it delivers fury, wistfulness, despair and yes, somehow it manages to touch my heart (forgive me this emotional description). All of its many facets work excellently and the fathomless depth of this song is truly exciting from my point of view. Needless to say that the dark touch of the composition and the negative vibes of the vocals go hand in hand. That's not all: the proper production supports the songs in a very good way, because it lends them transparent power. Despite the fact that the keyboards add a lot of value to the musical content, the guitars keep all remaining elements under control. Mid-harsh black metal with more or less massive keyboards can result in a big pile of shit, but Norrhem's pieces are edgy enough to avoid a cheesy outcome. Okay, the amazing quality level of "Koitos" cannot be achieved again, but "Elonkehrä" sounds vital, vigorous and vehement. It is definitely worth listening. Maybe Nightwish fans disagree, but this doesn't matter to me.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Jeger on January 7, 2026.

The timeless art of Black Metal is what will carry some of us through this dawning of a new Dark Age - the music of ancient days and of mystifying realms forlorn. As we succumb to the bewildering paradox of mass communication and global degeneracy - the reality of having all of the information in the known Universe in the palm of our hands as we simultaneously dumb down somehow. A pathetic place the world has indeed become! So, we lose ourselves in the moments that make up our dearest Black Metal recordings. And therein lies the beauty of the genre - the world spirals further into the shitter and true Black Metal stays pure; pure as the blackened lunar curtain that precedes the dawn.

Melodic Black Metal - a lost art in this modern era. Why? Because not everyone gets it. To understand true Melodic BM is to comprehend the majesty of Dissection, Dawn and Sacramentum - the Swedish MBM triumvirate. And with this knowledge comes expectation: a standard and a bar set. Perhaps that's why MBM has become a lost art. Who wants to take on the impossible task of writing an album that could rival "The Somberlain"? Winter Eternal is up for the challenge…

Winter Eternal is a Melodic Black Metal band that got its start in Greece and then later relocated to Scotland. It is masterminded by one Soulreaper and backed by the percussion of V. Nuctemeron, the cello of Varvara Tsotra and the violin of Dimitris Charisis. On February 13, Winter Eternal will bestow its highly-anticipated fifth LP benefaction upon us, "Unveiled Nightsky", via the venerable Hells Headbangers.

Long lost and yet stark as daylight. Music that harkens back to those Golden Days of yore while maintaining a crisp modern edge. Cutting through the mix with laser precision are the guitars during the opening track, "Born Of Winter's Breath" - uplifting tremolo riffs radiate into the atmosphere with an ethereal yet blanketed quality like the thick oily smoke of pipe tobacco as it absorbs into its surroundings and every bit as rich, bold and characteristic. The following track, "Omen Of The Cosmic Order", unfolds to a myriad of varying tempos as alternations between mid and low-intensity progressions give way to swift blast-beats and dense tom-rolls. Conceptually, "Unveiled Nightsky" details the wonder of Greek mythology, Algonquian Folklore and the vastness of the Cosmos - a thematic smorgasbord to keep you fat, happy and fulfilled for the duration. A gout-initiating level of melodic richness to debauch in the title-track: rolling melodic sequences unfold to martial rhythms and intrepid bass lines until eventually all elements converge into a maddening but calculated crescendo of Black Metal.

When you get it, you get it, and in the case of Winter Eternal, it's like all of the very best elements of Melodic BM funnel into a multilayered influential hearkening back to the sub-genre's best releases, but don't expect the same approach on the engineering front. "Unveiled Nightsky" is a contemporary specimen of sound engineering: crisp, layered and fulfilling through and through. No Dungeon Synth dork love and nothing too flamboyant as far as atmosphere and composition to talk about. This record can be summed up in three words: elite, classy and austere.

Following the epic, "Echoes Af A Fallen Crown", with its cozy even flow of warm tremolo riffs and soothing blast-beats, comes the outro, "Drifting Into The Depths Of Oblivion". An acoustic guitar-driven, violin-accented beauty. Fit for dying to and a gorgeous cap off to what's been a truly great Black Metal record. What an important album. More of this, please! So many Underground Black Metal bands are so concerned with sounding like they're straight outta Norway that this Sverige-honoring work just feels a bit more vital to BM. May the Art of true Melodic Black Metal find its way back home to our hearts once again, and may Winter Eternal continue to crush the status quo beneath their boots. Hail!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10