Class of 2012: Winterfylleth - The Threnody of Triumph

Winterfylleth is Olde English for "Winter Full Moon."  And while we're at it, a threnody is a song, poem, or hymn to commemorate the dead.

Winterfylleth is a British black metal band with slight folk/pagan leanings.  The band describes its music as "English heritage black metal."

The Threnody of Triumph opens with "A Thousand Winters."  It's a pretty good start, has effective tempo shifts to add variety, and ends with chants of drawn-out "whoa"s.  The chanting also appears on next track "The Swart Raven," which is one of the album's highlights.  It starts very strong, twists at just past the halfway point, and then shifts back toward the end.

Another standout is "The Glorious Plain."  It's a typical black metal track until right before the four-minute mark, at which point clean vocals with actual lyrics take the song to the next level.

Two acoustic instrumentals, "Aefterield Freon" and "Home is Behind," bring out the band's folk metal tendencies.  The former is the shorter of the two and features a violin, whereas the latter only uses acoustic guitars and could be a little shorter.

My only real issue with this album is its length.  Clocking in at over 63 minutes, it's a long listen.  Although the songs and music are solid throughout, a little trimming of the fat would have been much appreciated.

Grade: B-  (81.3%)