WINTERFYLLETH

Whether aiming for some ornate and extravagant expression of inner iciness, or blasting away in a state of primal, animalistic euphoria, black metal was never designed or intended to be reassuring. And yet here we are, witnessing the birth of another WINTERFYLLETH album that is so observably superior to the vast majority of comparable competition that the obvious response is to loosen the shoulders and relax into it like a hot bath. Not that the British stalwarts have lost any of their intensity, extremity or ability to conjure the emotionally inexplicable.

"The Imperious Horizon" is arguably even more overpowering and violent than any previous album, and yet it exudes a calm authority that only the greatest bands can touch. 2020's "The Reckoning Dawn" was widely acknowledged as another triumph for this most consistent of bands, and there is something hugely reassuring about the instantly recognizable quality of the follow-up. Some bands are better than others, and here is the proof.

WINTERFYLLETH always had the uniqueness of their vision as a shield against mediocrity. The vision laid out on debut album "The Ghost of Heritage" 16 years ago has long proven itself to be resilient and inspirational, and the band's characterful blend of epic musical fury and wistful, windswept sentiments has steadily grown, becoming ever more adventurous along the way. "The Imperious Horizon" may not be the absolute pinnacle of what WINTERFYLLETH are capable of, but it does feel like the culmination of their most vital, interwoven compositional strands. These are huge, grandiloquent songs, full of crestfallen melodies, haunting atmospheres, and moments of myopic barbarism. An opening assault to savor, "Like Brimming Fire" is the essence of all that has gone before, channeled through fresh and increasingly sophisticated ideas. Built around a vast, voracious wall of guitars that sparkles with distorted clarity, it conveys the vastness of the elements, while still reveling in the raw intimacy of frontman Chris Naughton's screams. More importantly, "Like Brimming Fire" — as with many of these songs — sounds alive and electrified, as WINTERFYLLETH bask in the gently surreal glow of their own collective potency. Turn it up loud enough, and it really does feel like a soundtrack to the sky falling in.

But ignoring all the obvious potential for cerebral analysis here, "The Imperious Horizon" is, at heart, an absolutely riveting heavy metal record. Recent singles "Dishonour Enthroned" and "Upon This Shore" are marauding, melodically finessed anthems, with gleaming, malevolent hooks and billowing clouds of hypnotic distortion. The title track is a stately sprawl, which despite its many bursts of aggravated speed, hits several points of genuine beauty and grace, including a sublime mid-song interlude that alludes to '70s prog without losing its icy grip on this album's abominable flow. Even better, "In Silent Grace" pairs England's greatest contemporary black metal band with the lead singer of Ireland's unequivocal standard bearers, PRIMORDIAL. Nobody hammers a song home with quite the same dexterity and conviction as AA Nemtheanga, and here he delivers an extraordinary performance that elevates an already stunning piece of music into 11 of the most astonishing minutes of recorded sound that anyone will hear this year.

As if to prove that they can mix things up a bit, WINTERFYLLETH then pull out "To the Edge of Tyranny": a four-minute face-smasher with vitriol oozing from every pore, and blastbeats that whistle past like gusts of subzero wind. "Earthen Sorrows" is a gorgeous, elegiac instrumental with accompanying strings, and a necessary moment of respite before the rapacious, scorched earth policy of closer "The Insurrection". Again, this band's growth into a magnificent force of art and nature is something to behold. Casually illuminating new dimensions within their self-created world of musical warfare, WINTERFYLLETH are so damn good at this, that it very nearly brings a tear to the eye. Imperious, indeed.