A couple of years ago, a certain Mr Steve Blackwood, he of…well, a multitude of bands in the UKBM scene here and there but most definitely of the rightly respected Old Corpse Road released the first album from his solo project, Wynter Myst. The musicianship was expected to be high and didn’t disappoint, but for me the big surprise (though it shouldn’t have been) was the wonderful, atmospheric and full on black metal song-writing involved. So fast forward a couple of years and the follow-up to ‘Frore’ very kindly dropped into my hands. Excited? Yeah, just a bit.
‘Frostbitten Ophidian Veins’ announced Bitter Hymns with no preamble, no intro; just a roaring riff and howl and then that beautiful build of atmosphere. It really fills that song title; a nasty, blizzard sharp frozen edge to it, coiling about you, but with a thundering rhythm section as though you’re being driven before it. It has sound which I have over the years begun to associate with the North of England scene – a little rooted in early Emperor with those majestic riffs but with an English rawness and a more unbridled sound and with the melody conjured more on the strings than the keys. It absolutely flies. Mastered by Azrael (check out his Frosten project) the sound is so on point; sharp, cold and epic.
‘Glacial Scars’ is maybe more direct, more brutal in its assault but no less effective. The vocals, I begin to realise are frankly superb; the howl and snarl full of expression and the variation in some of the almost but not quite clean vocals holds you utterly to the song. Some almost gentle guitar work, a melody line that opens up the song beautifully before plunging back headfirst into the storm.
And then comes ‘Apricity’ (that’s torpor, in reptiles, to you and me, carrying the reptilian theme on); this is just a stunning piece of song-writing. Melancholy, slow, as though the energy and the will is leaving the body. The guitar weaves a wave of melody that waxes and wanes and keyboards rise to just push your heart into your throat. The tempo picks up but the despairing tune clings all the while and within the fire still burns. The lyrics were provided with this, too, and here their minimal wording, their reflection of the inner emotional fire and the external winter almost has the feel of a haiku in its musings. Never underestimate black metal lyrics; you can find so much depth within.
‘Anguished Screams From The Trembling Chasms’ begins as the title suggests and into a blizzard of drums. A touch of Immortal whispers around the edges, perhaps, but again the guitar and the melody takes hold and the Wynter Myst sound holds true.
‘In The Shadow’ is an instrumental; echoing drums and haunting keyboards, sombre guitar setting the scene to enter ‘Under The Spell’, an epic meditation on the moon drenched in atmosphere and a cold but utterly compelling and turbulent journey that leave you exhausted.
Bitter Hymns is simply a fantastic album of UKBM; full of that distinct raw rage and enveloping atmosphere. With their second album, Wynter Myst and Steve Blackwood have taken the foundations of the debut, and the singles released between and built a cold, dark kingdom of truly majestic black metal. The song-writing is superb, the performance is exemplary and the yearning it leaves in your soul should indeed be treasured. I doubt you’ll hear a better album of UKBM this year.
Buy.
(9/10 Gizmo)
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