Founded in Rome in 2021 by guitarists Luca Gagnoni and Emanuela Marino from Doom/Death Metal band Veil Of Conspiracy, Italian atmospheric Black Metal band Svart Vinter return with their second studio album Isvind, the follow-up to their 2022 debut Mist.
Svart Vinter – Isvind
Release Date: 30 May 2025
Words: Jools Green
Svart Vinter continue to draw inspiration from the classic Norwegian Black Metal scene of the ’90s, and whilst Mist was quite a good listen, they have further developed their sound with Isvind into something that reflects themselves more. The result is an album that is icy, atmospheric and emotive.
With this release, that icy, haunting Norwegian feel is still immediately there. But there is definitely an added touch of Italian flair and style that has been allowed to creep in post-Mist, as well as a Doom-rich atmosphere, which I like immensely.
The icy, atmospheric and emotive sound also reflects in the lyrics which are inspired by “themes of nature, isolation, and existential struggle, exploring both the beauty and the darkness of the natural world and the human condition, reflecting on the human spirit’s search for meaning in an indifferent and often hostile universe.” This gives the listener a soundscape to completely immerse and lose themselves within.
Opening with Torment, here a haunting black drive ebbs and builds in steady increments. The pace gradually quickens, becoming quite frantic towards the latter part of the second half. I love the soaring tortuous roar towards the close, quantifying that theme of torment. This is a reflective piece that delivers a sense of regret and deep reflection.
With its stark, haunting opener, Frozen Tomb delivers dramatic extremes. , to the greater part. It opens and continues with a reflective, plodding pace overlaid with harsh, well-protracted vocals. But when the pace gathers, it becomes a blackened onslaught of repeating waves of extreme and intense proportions. It delivers so much powerful emotion during these peak moments, which I love.
Title track Isvind continues with a wistful haunting mood, expanding into bleak riffing and protracted vocals. It quickly builds to an intense smothering drive with pounding drum rhythms that assault your senses. The haunting mood weaves its way back in and heralds a drop in pace, musically moving between these extremes seamlessly. All the while, the powerfully protracted vocals carve an acidic swathe across the music.
Ritual bursts forth with an intense wave of riffing. But thirty seconds in, it dramatically drops back to a blackened plod. This format repeats to form the core of the track. The slower passages allow for the vocal delivery to impact all the more.
Then, in the second half, the big surprise. After a huge protracted roar, you get an extensive swathe of soaring leadwork over the plodding riffs, taking this piece to a whole new level.
The tranquillity of the simple opening riffs and drum rhythms on Abyss is shattered by an acidic, protracted scream. The pace elevates to a black undulating drive, then switches to a plodding pace as the vocals arrive, and with dramatic pauses heralding direction switches on this dark atmospheric offering.
I love the bleak, ominous opening build to Where The Shadows Lie. The slow reflective plod and acidic vocals immediately suggest something hugely atmospheric and powerful is coming. It does not take long to build into a frenzy of riffs, ebbing all the way back and rebuilding in successive tantalising waves. Finally, the closing soaring roar as it fades is superbly impactful.
The next piece, My Last Winter, once again delivers superb extremes. After a beautiful, clean, and simple reflective opener, it builds into Doom-rich, black riffs. Then, without warning, it bursts into a galloping frenzy, dropping back to rebuild repeatedly. The protracted acidic vocals soar across the duration of the track, their intensity matching the ebb and build.
For the album single, Of Cold And Grief, the band explain that “with its chilling atmosphere and relentless intensity, it paints a picture of a world plunged into eternal winter, where light is fading, and the cold is the only constant companion. This track is an exploration of the raw, unyielding nature of grief, death, and the solitude that follows.
“It is a journey into the heart of winter, where the cold is not just a season, but a reflection of inner torment.” It is a piece that delivers more engaging ebbs and builds and creates an icy bleak atmosphere, particularly from the perspective of the vocals and lyrics, that surrounds and engulfs the listener. I love the elevated passage towards the close of the track as it intensifies the mood hugely.
I really like this whole album, but there is something that speaks a little louder to me about the final piece Beneath The Night’s Cold Gaze. It is very poignant to open and quickly develops a very dark, frosty aura. This song oozes a ’90s Black Metal atmosphere, crawling along with icy menace. The vocals are, as always, superbly delivered, making the song grippingly atmospheric, unnervingly powerful and hugely engaging.
Isvind was mixed and mastered by the band’s vocalist Andrea Maggioni at Decomposed Design Studio. The album’s artwork is based on an original photo by Autumnal Mood Photography.
Svart Vinter release Isvind on 30 May 2025 via Non Serviam Records. It will be available as a limited-edition digipak CD, vinyl or as a digital download.
