The Howling Wind – Into the Cryosphere

The Howling Wind – Into the Cryosphere

Image courtesy of Profound Lore Records

1.The Seething Wrath of a Frigid Soul 06:45
2.Teeth of Frost 05:34
3.Obscured Pyramid 01:33
4.Ice Cracking in the Abyss 03:51
5.Will Is the Only Fire Under an Avalanche 06:55
6.Impossible Eternity 06:31
7.A Dead Galaxy Mirrored in an Ice Mirage 02:25

Well here we go again, another one from Profound Lore Records. I had grabbed the advanced track Teeth of Frost from the Profound Lore MP3 section and gave it a spin, and yeah, this was something I needed to get more of…..so I picked up the album basically the day it was released (April 2010), and have kind of shelved it for a review. After listening to so many bands from this label, especially after reviewing Hooded Menace, it was time to take a break and listen to other things, just to make sure my brain didn’t melt. If you haven’t read my other reviews, or know of the other bands enlisted to Profound Lore, you’ll see a picture painted with bleakness and brutality. Man, how can one get bored of that?! This meaning, for me, I need a lot of change, and I need to be in the right mindset to listen, and now with fall approaching, my ride into work on the iron pony, with the leaves starting to turn and the sky grey…I am in the mood to give this a deeper listen.

Drudkh, Celestiial, Krallice, Hate Forest, Celtic Frost, and Cobalt, All come to mind when listening to The Howling Wind. (Notice two of them are label mates? CONSPIRACY?) Just like the album cover, a snow covered mountain, isolation, cold and bleak, and that is exactly the picture this album paints. Into the Cryosphere, is wicked blend of transcending genres, once again, using black metal as it roots and then layering other forms on top of that. Hell, even the track A Dead Galaxy Mirrored in and Ice Mirage dips into the Eastern tones along the lines of Melechesh. Like many other good bands, the formula keeping it simple is applied here, and it’s pulled off well. It’s amazing how they use 3 chord progressions in different variations of tempo and such, to make an album that keeps you wanting to listen, like a kid being drawn to free sugary goodness of candy. The only downfall, and again, this may be me, one needs to be in a certain mindset to listen, I can’t picture myself running, cycling or driving, listening to this album and making much connection. But to sit back and let it take you on it’s journey, fully plugged in, is definitely where this album is at.

4.5/5

~Jester

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