Winter Eternal - Unveiled Nightsky

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Winter Eternal is a one-man black metal band from Greece, who formed in 2000 as Unveiled NightSky but changed to the current moniker in 2011. The musician behind all this is Soulreaper, also from Without Guidance and formally of Convixion, Nightbreed, and Regulus.

Winter Eternal’s black metal is cold and bleak but also melodic and surprisingly infectious.  With 8 songs and a 30-minute runtime, it is a focused album that knows exactly what it is going for.  A lot of the melodic guitar is memorable across this frozen landscape, but the gritty speed of the genre’s foundations is just as present, so this album packs quite the punch within its well-written songs. 


It's pretty groovy too but not in the usual way but because the riffs and melodies go so well together. As they play off one another, each song builds up a wall of sound. As the harmonies grow towards the rising action, the songs pour on their melancholic leanings but never forget the power a blackened riff holds. 


The speed of the opening song, “Born of Winter's Breath,” is gripping and perpetual like a never-ending avalanche.  The vocals are balanced well into the mix and act as another abrasive edge that keeps the metal flowing even when the song is at its most melodic.


I love the sorrowful riffs that kick off "Nurtured by the Night.” The bass guitar is equally as engaging but the song turns extra special when the drums rage in–quick and on point. The blackened riffs hit a groove, finding their stride as the song moves towards an epic mid-tempo passage with convincing spoken word vocals.


“Descent Into Hades Embrace,” throws in a nice twist with the clean guitar preceding the gripping speed. The vocals cry out through the atmosphere while the instruments race towards a badass mid-section with rapid fire guitar melodies and stalwart drums—one of the best moments on the album.


“Echoes of a Fallen Crown,” is the last full song and it is a banger–one of my favorites of the album. The guitar/bass intro is fantastic and perfectly sets up the song. Crisp melodies with an undercurrent of groove cut through with the vocals screaming their potency. The atmospheric mid-section is smartly placed and goes a long way in making the final half of the song all the more harrowing.


Winter Eternal's “Unveiled Nightsky” is melodic black metal done right because it is memorable while also capturing the genre's cold and bleak outlook. 


Rating:  Great



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