Winterblood - L'ingresso
An old project which (according to the rumours) have been in existence since 1996, and had its very first release in 2008 on Frozen Landscapes Production. A label which also released Vinterriket, another well-known act working within the cold boundaries between black-metal and minimal ambient music. This release (which is the latest) have been released on Grey Matter Productions both physical and digitally, the physical release is a beautiful pro-printed CD-R digipack limited to 50 copies. As people within the Dungeon Synth community was talking and whispering about this act, I felt it was time for me to check it up.
The album had been called L'ingresso, which means The Entrance. The first piece of cover-art done for the digital version via the bands official Bandcamp are different than the one done on Grey Matter.
So there you go. I have this strange fetish about looking at the cover-art and imagining that the music itself works as a soundtrack for it. And here you have a choice, which one do you wanna use. The first one has a kind of, the hidden ancient cave from the past kind-of-feel. Showing a cave entrance... where one might go-and-hide and isolate from the rest of the world? The other cover from Grey Matter almost has a... cosmic-gateway thing going on. Like a minimal/post-modern painting showing ancient gateways to the throne of Azathoth in some art gallery. The second one by Grey Matter is by far the most stylish and cool-looking one, where the other might be dismissed as another black-metal looking one? I prefer the black-metal looking one, not because I am a huge black-metal fan though. All a matter of taste!. Nevertheless!
The first track on the album called Waldeinsamkeit II is the longest track on the album (almost 30 minutes long!). Works as a perfect intro/entrance to the entire album, after 30 minutes you are bloody there. Translated into English as Forrest Solitude. Melodic driven and cold synth-ambience at it´s best. Fans of early of Raison d´être and Runes Order take notice!. Vintage fans (Jarre+Tangerine Dream) also. Those first 30 moody minutes makes you hungry for more... and luckily we 20 minutes of the album (5 tracks). The next track named (as the album) L'ingresso / Entrance moves you further into the mouldy and damp cave.. or through that cosmic gateway. The Jarre´ish / dark-ambient fusion is surely a marriage made in heaven here. Literally, it feels like a room of sound which you don't want to leave. Next track Identificazio has a slight psychedelic drone and ritualistic mood going on, gives you a hint/taste of the further developments of the album. Fourth track Presenza adds slowly-built melancholic tunes to the moody ritualistic drones, makes you feel that you are among desolate ruins. The fifth track Segni, breathtakingly beautiful! I would wish that this track would be longer than 03:05!. Last track Sintesi, just leaves you with doom and despair on the cold ground. End of story, and that is that!.
A fantastic achievement, the kind of synth-driven and melodic ambient music that I would like to hear more of. Really perfectly balanced and with an authentic feel attached to it. There is no way to go-around-the-bush with this one, this one is a must!.
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