Winterfylleth
is a band I've heard a lot about, but had not gotten around to actually listening to until this album. My own taste in black metal is in the vein of Enslaved or Agalloch, but I do like deafheaven as well. Winterfylleth
has some similarities with Agalloch on "The Divinition of Antiquity" in that they are atmospheric and even have some elements of folk, though not nearly as much as Agalloch.
Winterfylleth
is great with melody, which in black metal shows up in guitar riffs. The title track has a riff running through it
that holds the song together quite well; it's very memorable. They never try to
lose you along the way, but they don't blungeon you to death either. Of course,
blast beats are everywhere and drummer Simon Lucas is great at them, but he knows when to dial it down and let the song breathe.
Another favorite track of mine is "A Caveworn Heart." It's one of the songs I'd hear and check to see which track was playing, and it was always this one! It starts with almost chant-like vocals, which yields to an almost “Opethian” wide-open-sounding verse with a nice guitar riff under it. There are also many melodic dual guitar lines throughout the song
-- just a great track. "Over The Borderlines" is another standout track with black metal blast beats.
It settles into a solid groove and another sweet guitar line. “Forsaken In Stone” starts with a nice acoustic/electric intro and feels very Agalloch-esque. It is a very epic-sounding track overall, slightly slower at times and doomy,
and the chant vocals return.
As a whole, "The Divination of Antiquity" is a hefty, epic album
that works best when listened to in one intense hour-plus sitting. Fans of the band will be pleased that they have retained their sound, but hopefully other fans of the genre will discover this very talented band.
