Vinternatt – Vinternatt [Demo]

We return to the attack to banish and destroy the aura of mystery around the duo that conspired in the creation of this demo. It opens with an intro called ‘Through the Silence and Void, The Abyss..’. This introduction seemed to me to evoke a sensation of expectation building towards an inexorable apotheosis, like walking under thick darkness towards hidden places among the vegetation. In that sense, it achieves its preamble mission, seamlessly blending with the second song, ‘The Torches Fall Unto Death’. This track feeds itself in a constant fade-in until reaching the appropriate volume, where a distorted whirlwind attacks mercilessly, trapping the listener between two walls of negative frequencies. The tremolo guitars screech proud and dark melodies while the seconds are decapitated by the rhythm of the drums, evoking the memory and almost the sound of Transilvanian Hunger.

From minute two, one of the demo’s hidden faces is revealed; raw Black Metal with orthodox overtones, executed in a cold, almost freezing manner. Its apotheosis – that same feeling that something was about to happen in the darkness – materializes like a ghostly apparition in a passage obstructed by keyboards that set the mood for the continuation of the march. I must highlight the gloomy emotion this song exudes, where the vocals are left far behind in the mix and resemble whispers in the immeasurable depths of the abyss, illuminated by torches.

The following attack already shows some variations in rhythm but with more presence of orchestral keyboards. Thanks to the spaced chords of the guitars, you can better perceive the screams of Lord Valadrius, wrapped in a veil of darkness. Now, it’s time to enter the longest song of the entire demo, ‘Beneath the Starry Firmament’. This entity showcases one of Vinternatt’s qualities: the revelation of another previously hidden face in the form of a deep atmosphere that takes over these ten minutes of ambiance. It reminded me of the Swedes Lustre, with marked repetition of synthesized sounds and a sustained march without variation, unless it’s for some announcement or silence before resuming the same step. Under all this ethereal atmosphere, the silence of the screams went more than unnoticed.

‘Winterveil’ is the appropriate name for the track that bids farewell to the dreamlike journey Vinternatt has given us with this demo. I said before that the name was appropriate because if we break down the track and the work in its entirety, it has all the natural and supernatural elements of the dark season: cold and vastness achieved by synthesizers that dilute until they become elemental entities that dominate some place hidden from the human eye. This entity, after being lashed by the inclement storm, threatens to awaken and rise up against whoever dares to walk its paths.

I read on their Bandcamp that this demo was written and recorded in 2012, and if so, it has the seal of timelessness engraved on its forehead, as I would never have thought it had thirteen years on its back.