Dead Of Winter

At the Helm of the Abyss
Profound Lore Records

7.5/10; Raw Black Metal

8 tracks; 36:52

Violently erupting like a geyser of blood from the icy crust of its snow-covered lair, bear witness to the infernal unfurling of an unnatural phenomenon. In local legends and folklore, northern tribesmen and witch doctors in the region of Kitchener, Ontario call it: DEAD OF WINTER.

Bear witness, but beware. Their debut record, At the Helm of the Abyss, is a hail of gunfire.

The quadruple-time drumming races by so fast your mind will have to sprint to keep up with it. The guitars are smokin' and the vocals are corrosive. It's bare bones to the bone and it's all so raw it's practically breathing. It's a maelstrom of speed and aggression.

Not often does a debut album come along with such a well-worn personality. It has a hard, pissed-off, vintage hardcore edge. Knuckle-shredding chord strumming is utilized almost strictly with little use of the usual chugging and picking. The shrieking vocals are vicious. And the singer uses his voice to clearly delineate craftily assembled rhythm patterns with a vengeance. The backing vocals sound like a ghoul, moaning in the pain of its living death.

Meanwhile, on the darker side of the cemetery, the riffs and song progressions sometimes overindulge in repetition. And the guitar leads are slightly sparse. Actually, there aren't any. Some leads would have helped to sharpen things up. Similarly, more tempo variety would have helped to keep the fast stuff sounding fast, in that it would build some contrast.

Moving on to the production: it's excellent. The sound has a stripped down quality to it. The tones are cold and edgy and the textures are jagged. One of the only effects is some haunting reverb on the toms. (Great production does not necessarily demand a ton of time and money; it's said that Jack Endino recorded Nirvana's classic "Bleach" over a weekend for under 800 bucks).

In sum, this is a shit-kickin' disk. It's ablaze with violence and evil. If you're getting impatient with your ailing old granny's slow death, crank this one up and it should finish her off nicely. So here's to DEAD OF WINTER: At the Helm of the Abyss. It's a perfect addition for any collection. Acquire or expire!

Regan Perlett