Svart Vinter – Isvind

Written by on 07-06-2025 at 01:51.

You come from Italy, more specifically Rome, and you play black metal. Where do you get the much-needed inspiration for your band name and for the title of your second album? Precisely: Norway and Sweden, and this to make the direct link with the black metal from the mid-90s that you as a person like to hear and play. It can be thirat simple, Svart Vinter must have thought. That’s also why they promptly called the album Isvind.

Non Serviam Records knew the band from its 2022 release (Mist) and promptly signed this quintet formed around Mr. Maggioni. The latter recorded the whole thing himself in his Decomposed Design Studio and thus tries to make the connection between the past and the present. The black metal of these Italians is said to contain more feeling and emotion in addition to dark atmospheric passages.

Deep, dark, powerful and filled with dark thoughts. That’s how the first song, Torment, sounds. Production-wise it’s also spot-on because it feels cold, chilly and rock solid. The razor-sharp throat rattles of Mr. Maggioni himself not only cut through marrow and bone but also through everything else. It is an instrument in itself. Not only are those throat rattles so razor-sharp, you often hear that sharpness in the guitar parts as well. You can safely listen to Frozen Tomb from this perspective. Isvind does sound even colder. In its form, color and performance it reminds me a bit of Der Weg Einer Freiheit.

Even soloing is no stranger to these guys and girl. On Ritual there is a particularly impressive variation. The opening bars of Abyss really do remind me of the Canadians of Numenorean. Something that can also be said of the song Where The Shadows Lie and this can be seen as a compliment.

Well, I would dare to say that you should just let these fine musicians in Svart Vinter do their thing. The band knows exactly what they are doing, as evidenced by this Isvind. It is black metal in the most mature way and is in turn provided with a more than typical ice-cold stamp.

Score:

85/100

Label:

Non Serviam Records, 2025

Tracklisting:

  1. Torment
  2. Frozen Tomb
  3. Isvind
  4. Ritual
  5. Abyss
  6. Where The Shadows Lie
  7.  My Last Winter
  8. Of Cold And Grief
  9. Beneath The Night’s Cold Gaze

Line-up:

  • Andrea Maggioni – Vocals
  • Luca Gagnoni – Guitar
  • Emanuela Marino – Guitar
  • Jacopo Simonelli – Bass guitar
  • Luca Tiraterra – Drums

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