Winterlong

I’ve come to think of 2005 as the year of the underdog, because it was the year that a large number of well established mainstays in the melodic power metal world (Gamma Ray, Freedom Call, Metalium, Falconer, and a few others) faltered, while younger and newer acts released top notch work to fill the void. Along with The Storyteller, Winterlong represents a somewhat younger yet still relevant 2nd tier alongside the bands who got their debuts out between 1996 and 1999, whom I refer to as the 2nd tier proper. Pre-1996 acts such as Kamelot and Nocturnal Rites would qualify as the younger side of the 1st tier along with older acts such as Gamma Ray, post-“Follow the Blind” Blind Guardian and the newer incarnation of Helloween in 1994.

As far as the approach of Winterlong, it is basically a mishmash of 80s heavy metal and the neo-classical metal offshoot that was popularized by Yngwie Malmsteen. But unlike Dushan Petrossi and Carljohan Grimmark, axe man Thorbjörn Englund isn’t a pure neo-classical shredder and understands the value of occasionally just pounding out some simple pentatonic licks the way Dave Murray often does or play a simple structured melody that can be sung along with. His riffing style is heavier than the average power metal guitarist of the late 90s persuasion, occasionally mimicking the simplicity of Accept, and at other times invoking rapid complex ones not all that dissimilar from Olaf Thorsen.

This album, which bears the same name as the band, is not a power metal album in the epic sense of Rhapsody and company, save a somewhat Nordic sounding brief instrumental at its close and an inspired acoustic interlude in “A Vision of the Wolf”. Much of the material is actually quite guitar driven and only sparsely accompanied by keyboards, save during the solo interchanges. “The Priest” and “Ragnarok” in particular are almost groove driven and remind of Cowboys from Hell style thrash meets glam. Mikael Holm’s vocals are riveting; picture a cleaner sounding Ronnie Dio meets Vision Divine frontman Michele Luppi and you’ll have a rough idea.

Naturally this album does still invoke plenty of stereotypical power metal moments and neo-classical shred. Although it starts with another quasi-1990 Pantera intro, “Each Night We Die” features plenty of ridiculously fast double bass drumming and a hook driven chorus with soaring vocal work. The drum work and guitar riffing on “Ten Digits to the Future” get so insanely fast at some points you’d think that Leif Eriksson is a drum machine and Englund had robotic implants put in his right wrist. “We rise from the dead” and “Judgment Day” are also solid examples of riff happy speed metal with simple song structures. “Bloodshed” is a fairly technically ambitious instrumental featuring Englund’s neo-classical chops; it’s been done before, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.

But in spite of all this, the best single work on here is summed up in one word, “Oblivion”. Although it doesn’t break the 7 minute mark, it qualifies as something of an epic, and features some more progressive ideas which are otherwise not present on this album. Holm’s vocals are at their peak from start to finish, sometimes breaking the threshold between being impassioned and neurotic. As an added bonus we are treated to some brief vocal sections featuring Stella Tormanoff, who pulls off a pretty decent Tarja Turunen sound.

For 2005 this is close to the best you’ll get save Helloween’s “Keeper, The Legacy” release and a few other outliers in what was otherwise a musical recession in the power metal scene. It is not as pure power metal as the last two albums and features some low end groove work and half-thrash moments which are done tastefully and don’t take the songs into the gutter the way most strict groove acts can not help but do. Sadly this is the last album with Mikael Holm at the helm, but hopefully he’ll find another project equally as suited to his talents as this, and Thorbjörn Englund will continue to make solid metal music on his own terms.