Ever since I reviewed ‘Desolation’ Nordicwinter have been on my radar of acts to keep an eye out for and when the chance to become acquainted with the latest enchanting offering in the guise of ‘This Mournful Dawn’ raised its head I snapped at the chance to become familiar with it and I am so pleased that I did.

The package is constructed of five tracks, that is if you include the sub three-minute instrumental at the end, and is barren and bleak, mesmerising and emotive all at the same time. The core of the tracks are hypnotic and enthralling whilst still managing to inject a sense of captivation and enchantment into the heart of the aural products. The raw black metal lies firmly on the surface, with misanthropic vocals being spat out with distinctively vile intent, but it isn’t until you really start to carve open the individual tracks that you find their unique identities. The majority of the release is made up of tracks which exceed the marathonic ten-minute mark and this lends itself to allowing the artistic and creative mind of Evillair to really work wonders with the composition and structure of the deep and intricate works of art he has unleashed within ‘This Mournful Dawn’.

Evillair has been prolific in the releasing of works since 2020, albeit his debut ‘Threnody’ in 2007, and when the releases are as fine as the Nordicwinter back catalogue then who can blame him. ‘This Mournful Dawn’ continues along the same frost ridden complex and hypnotic soundscape as its predecessors yet seems to have just dialled up the intensity and raw savagery which is sitting behind the black exquisiteness of the delicate façade. This is an event, a calculated and measured occurrence which needs to have time dedicated to it in order to allow yourself to appreciate the finer and more subtle decadent luxuries hidden within the tracks, as well as the blatant and more obviously brutal and ferociously darkened strings to the black metal bow.

This is a hand-crafted single malt which needs to be gently sipped as you sit beside a crackling fire pit whilst gazing out over snowcapped mountainous landscapes and gently babbling brooks. This is quite simply elegant and vitriolic beyond its years.

(9/10 Phil Pountney)

https://www.facebook.com/nordicwinterband

https://nordicwinternp.bandcamp.com/album/this-mournful-dawn