Old Wainds - Stormheart

Old Wainds is a black metal band from Russia, who formed in 1995.  Their latest album, “Stormheart” is their fifth full-length album; they have also released three demos and a split.  

“Stormheart,” also happens to be the band’s first album in ten years!  So many bands once thought lost are making comebacks…and this album is one of the strongest ones I’ve heard lately.  

This album is interesting because it has a firm grasp on black metal’s aggression but it’s still atmospheric.  While it leans more on fast paced energy, it isn’t afraid to be introspective when needed.  An example is the opening song, “Watch The Midnight Unveil.”  The intro builds up into fast paced drums and a cold, distant atmosphere that’s highlighted by subtle melody at a much slower tempo.  It’s an odd sort of combination that works because it builds up the tension, leading into a steady groove by the time the full band comes in. The song stops for a brief second at the 1:59 mark, leaving a door open for the band to walk through as an even more aggressive entity.

Of course, the band is just as effective when hitting hard and fast, as in “Of Night and Ice.”  This song barrels through from the first second, revealing a song with very abrasive riffs that are low and deep but not slow.  The band still offers melancholic and frozen notes interspersed between the speeding carnage.  Simply put, the band exists in two worlds at once but never has to pick and choose as both are seamlessly woven into the fabric of their compositions. 

The album flows well across its 7 song, 43 minute runtime. That’s pretty much the sweet spot for black metal; from one song to the next, “Stormheart,” does not have a bad song or even a bad second.  By the time “The Eternal, the Dead, the Arcane,” the album is firing on all cylinders!

This song is a beast with a massive, rolling groove ripping it up the moment the song begins.  The vocals are disgusting and vile, always a good thing.  The painful screams and laughter around the halfway point is a nice touch, adding a level of brutal psychosis.  There are moments in this song, brought on by the drums and the guitars that get meaner as the seconds pass, where the song is unfathomably heavy. 

“Snow Storm,” nails the underground elements of black metal with the bleak, cold atmosphere that it so often represents. Much like a snow storm, it is unrelenting and dense as hell.  Like howling winds, the music ebbs and flows from huge swaths of atmospheric intensity to straight line winds that cut straight through to the bone.  This is a raw, powerful song and the best one on the album and the only way to end this journey.

Old Wainds “Stormheart,” is a fantastic aggressive yet deep black metal album that sent me to a frozen, destitute world.  Fans of the band won’t find anything to complain about here and newcomers will be made a fan instantly.