Review: Immortal Souls – “Wintermetal”

Rottweiler Records artist Immortal Souls recently released Wintermetal, the Finnish metal outfit’s eleventh release of their impressive career.

This album is the blustery mountain peak of the Immortal Souls collection. Wintermetal is highly polished, and melody abounds without compromising the heaviness of this snarling beast. The band knows when to ease back, and when to unleash the guitar-led ice flurries. “Inverno” is a cool acoustic interlude that is literally the “Calm” before the “Snowstorm” (which is the title of the next track).

A. Sarkioja’s gravelly death vocals are possibly better than ever. He also easily steers a few songs with his powerful cleans, which are even more attention grabbing amid the blizzard of distortion. The clean vocals shine brightly over a beastly low end and driving melody on “Northern Star” and in the chorus of “Trail in the Snow,” which showcases some of my favourite lyrics on the album:

The trail in the snow I walk in the shadow of the trees/ Through the narrow path that leads to the gate of existence/The trail in the show that only a few will ever find/ The path I follow breathes the life in my worn out soul

“Grave of a Poet” is a relentless track; the guitar work keeps me locked, and there’s a tasty little breakdown at the end. Another highlight is the title track, which closes out the album. “Wintermetal” opens quietly and bursts into this chunky riff that carries through the song, It’s longest song of the album – clocking in at over six minutes – and is a cool culmination of the themes, energy and musicianship shown in the rest of the album.

Wintermetal is breathtaking frost-bitten melodic death metal proving Immortal Souls to be seasoned musicians at the top of their game.

Tracklisting

1) First Snow Of Winter
2) Calm Before The Snowstorm
3) Dawn Of Northern Coldness
4) The Trail In The Snow
5) Inverno
6) Snowstorm
7) Cold And Barren Land
8) Northern Star
9) The Grave Of A Poet
10) Solitude
11) Wintermetal

Pick it up on iTunes, Amazon, or from the Rottweiler Records store.