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“Finsternis” is an album compiling songs from various EPs this underground German band has released so far. And I remark “German”, because the bandname is in Norwegian... Vinterriket play atmospheric black metal and more ambiental tunes based on keys, everything in the vein of Burzum, but adding synths with different focus and having faster, blastbeat passages. We can find clean voices the pagan kind, besides the characteristical rotten laments, as well as other elements, but Varg Vikernes is the outstanding influence in the music of this one man band. The sound is one of the lowlights of the album; moreover, the drums are programmed, so the “clinic” sensation of percussives does nothing to strengthen the sound and the impression of coldness and heartless dominates the listening. Guitars are incredibly fuzzy and messy, until the point they resemble a simple buzz in our ears. In contrast to this, keyboards sound computerized and clean, in comparison with the rest of instruments. Vocals sometimes heard (for example, in the first song) as if they were sang several rooms away from ours. Having said this, you can make yourself a picture about how unbalanced is the mix of the songs here included. I should also add the immature arrangements one can find in some songs, where the tempos are not quite well managed and the home-made feeling is strongly breathen. Computer-made atmospheric black metal, I would call this. All in all, there aren´t much really interesting here, though some keyboard melodies and passages are worth a listen and have a glimpse of quality. In spite of this, the overall impression can´t be anything good at all. The awful sound ruins some good, loose things... If the concept behind Vinterriket is Nature, I presume the materialization of that idea is quite disappointing and wrong, at least in this release. Maybe Vinterriket´s further works are better. I can reckon something valuable behind the whole thing...
| Tracklist |
| 1. Der Schrei Der Leere |
| 2. Züngelnde Winterflammen |
| 3. Fragmente Eines Schattens |
| 4. Tötendes Licht |
| 5. Am Brennenden Nördlichen Firmament |
| 6. Stumme Winternacht |
| 7. Forge Of Souls (Graveland cover) |
: 42.41
| Buy other Vinterriket albums |
