Winter Eternal/Unveiled Nightsky/Hells Headbangers Records/2026 Full Length Review

 

  Greece/Scotland's  solo project  Winter  Eternal  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  an  old  school  and  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  album  2026  "Unveiled  Nightsky"  which  will  be  released  in  February  by  Hells  Headbangers  Records.

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  recording  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams.

  Most  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  mid  90's  Swedish  black/death  emtal  era  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  one  track  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  spoken  words  as  well  as  a  couple  of  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  and  clean  playing  before  return  back  to  a  heavier  direction,  stringed  instruments  are  also  added  on  the  outro.

  On  this  recording  Winter  Eternal  goes  back  to  the  mid  90's  era  of  Swedish  melodic  black/death  metal.  The  production  sounds  very  raw  and  old  school  while  the  lyrics  cover  Mythology  and  Folklore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Winter  Eternal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black/death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Born  of  Winter's  Breath"  "Unveiled  Nightsky"  and  "Echoes  of  A  Fallen  Crown".  8  out  of  10.

  https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/item-group.asp?pgpID=40384

Winter Eternal/Echoes Of Primordial Gnosis/Hells Headbangers Records/2024 Full Length Review

 

  Winter  Eternal  are  a  solo  project  originally  from  Greece  but now  resides  in  Scotland  that h as  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2024  album  "Echoes  of  primordial  Gnosis"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Hells  Headbangers  Records.

  A  very  fast,  raw  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  the  music  is  also  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  era  and  mixes  in  influences  from  both  the  Hellenic  and  Swedish  styles  of  the  genre.  

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  spoken  word  parts  are  also  utilized  briefly.  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  along  with  a  couple  of  songs  also  introducing  clear  vocals  and  clean  playing  onto  the  album  as  well  as  few  tracks  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  cello's  and  acoustic  guitars  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  also  an  instrumental.

  On  this  recording  Winter  Eternal  remains  true  to  the  melodic  and  old  school  style  of  black  metal  that  they  have  established on  previous  releases.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  mythological  gods,  legends  and  historical  heroes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Winter  Eternal  and  if  you  are  a f an  of  melodic  and  old  school  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  'Echoes  Of  Primordial  Gnosis"  "The  Serpent's  Curse"  and  "The  Keeper  Of  Sorrows".  8 out  of  10.

  https://shop-hellsheadbangers.com/item-group.asp?PgpID=36731  

Winter Eternal Interview

 

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the musical project since the recording of the new album?

I'm currently working on new material for 2 upcoming releases, but there is still in early stages.

There are also plans to make W.E. a live entity.

2.You have a new album coming out in June, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

As far as production, riffs, lyrics and performances, it's by far my most professional work so far.

Some new elements are the clean vocals, the 7/8 time signature and violin / cello in a non instrumental song.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with the newer music and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

I'm fascinated by the concept of Darkness as a primordial force, by Myths and Legendary stories and everything has to do with the influence of winter on nature and human emotions.

As far as composing, I'm giving my self some limitations so I can keep havinig a simular ''sound'' (at least for now):

1) The structure of the songs is intentional basic (so you can focus to the melodies / music).

2) Non copy paste attitute.

3) Leave a few mistakes here and there (because I truly belive that they give charecter to a song).

In addition to the constants I mentioned, I'm continually trying to improve as a guitarist / bassist / vocalist and add some new elements each time.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Winter Eternal'?

The multitude of emotions that are associated with Winter, are so unique and beautiful that it became the sole reason for me, to try to capture them through my music.

Thus the name Winter Eternal.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

The absolutely amazing Joan Llopis Doménech did the artwork for the ''Land of Darkness'' and I'm 666% happy with the result.

He managed to put on the canvas the cold, lonely and sorrowful path that someone needs to take to gain redemption, and that is the whole concept of the new album.

6.With this project you record everything by yourself but also have experience working with full line ups in other bands, which one do you prefer?

A solo project gives you the freedom to create everything exactly as you want and for the specific project I prefer doing things this way.

All that aside, I truly miss rehearsing and giging with bandmates, and as far as composision goes, some times the contribution of ideas creates something that a solo project cannot accompiced.

7.The project originated in Greece but you now reside in Scotland, can you tell us a little bit more about the move?

The financial situation in Greece was the reason for me to come to Scotland, and I am very happy with that decision.

Besides the fact the Scotland is by far one of the most beautiful countries that I have ever been and the vast majority of the people here are awesome, the name of the band fits perfectly with the weather and the whole atmosphere of Scotland.

8.On the new album you also did a "Gates Of ishtar' cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?

I still remember the time that I listen to the ''Dawn of Flames'' (that was the first track that I ever listen by Gates of Ishtar, in my teenage years) I was blown away!!!!

They are a major influence in my music and one of the most underatted bands in the genre.

9.The new album is going to be released in 'Hell's Headbangers', how would you compare working with this label to other labels that you have been a part of in the past?

I believe that they act as Fans first and then as a Label, (and that is Fucking awesome) without affecting the professionalism to the slightest.

So it's needless to say that I'm more than happy that our new album will be released by them.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

So far the feedback we get is really great, and that's fuels my productivity.

11.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

The only thing I'm hoping for the future, is to have the passion, time and resources to continue to compose music and share it with the people that are enjoying it.

12.What are you currently listening to nowadays?

Thrash and Black metal are the genres that I spend most of my time listening to, but besides those, I really enjoy everything from Blues to Death Metal, even prog and technical stuff.

The thing is that they are so many amazing releases every Fucking day, that you cannot properly follow something nowdays!!!!

But to stay on topic, the last releases by Odal, Uada, Havukruunu, Afsky, Lunar Spell make an impression on me.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Something that I like to mention every time I get the opportunity to do so... A HUGE thanks to Panagiotis Msd (Clepsydra Studio) and Nikos Papakostas (Entasis Studio) for the vital help throughout W.E. existence.

Also, HAILS to all those that helped in any way for this album come to life, all of those that are going to support it and to you for this interview!!

EMBRACE THE DARKNESS!!!!

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Winter Eternal/Land Of Darkness/Hells Headbangers/2021 CD Review

 

  Winter  Eternal  are  a  solo  project  originally  from  Greece  but  now  located  in  Scotland  that  plays  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2021  album  "Land  Of  Darkness"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Hells  Headbangers.  

  A  very  fast  and  raw  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  90's  era  Swedish  style  while  the  vocals  are  mostly  angry  sounding  black  metal  screams  and  the  bass  guitar  lines  also  show  an  influence  of  the  90's  Greek  style.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  At  times  the  music  also  captures  the  epic  structures  of  the  mid  90's  Norwegian  pagan  black  metal  style  along  with  some  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  classical  guitars.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  one  of  the  tracks  also  introducing  clean  playing  onto  the  album  as  well  as  a  couple  of  songs  also  adding  in  a  brief  use  of  stringed  instruments,  a  later  song  is  also  an  instrumental  and  the  recording  also  closes  with  a  cover  of  Gates  of  Ishtar's  "Dawn  Of  Flames".  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  pain  and  sorrow  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Winter  Eternal  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  and  old  school  black  metal  solo  project  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Crossing  The  Blackest  Skies"  "Crown  Of  Stars"  and  "Isolation".  8  out  of  10.

http://winter-eternal.bandcamp.com/album/land-of-darkness

https://youtu.be/O8IhjBP0xQI