Welcome My Last Chapter

This album has become a cult album in the black metal scene without a doubt and for good reason. The band comes together and releases one amazing album and then silence up until now. Apparently, they are working on new material. Regardless, back to the past.

This album starts off amazingly enough. It begins with a slow melancholic guitar pattern for 4 beats, then instantly a shriek comes out of nowhere that would scare the first time listener and the assault of cold riffs begins. This album has good variation between fast and mid-paced black metal to keep everyone entertained. The riffs are phenomenal at all times. I seriously think this album has some of the best riffs I have heard in black metal. Riffs that stand out are the ones in "A Castle so Crystal Clear", "As I Behold the Dying Sun", and "Wings of Sorrow." These are just my personal favorites and all the other songs are excellent as well. The riffs certainly are of a cold, icy feeling, but there is a certain majesty to them that can be especially noticed in the song "Vinterskogen." The drumming on this album is rapid and keeps up with the vicious riffs. They are mixed quite well with nothing to really complain about. Surprisingly, the bass is rather audible on this album, especially more so on some songs. The vocals are excellent. They are a perfect, very loud scream that certainly sounds like they are trying to overpower the sound of the blizzard that the riffs are creating.

This album is an excellent addition to any lover of riffs. Actually anyone, as you don't even have to be a fan of black metal. If you love great kick ass melodic riffs, this album has them. It has a ton of them. Go out, find this and stay grim.

Here's another one of those bands that released a single album of fantastic material, only to disappear into obscurity. Whether this was through bad management, poor decision making or sheer bad luck, the reason for their disappearance certainly wasn't down to their music being shitty. 'Welcome My Last Chapter' in my opinion at least, could easily stand toe to toe with Dissection or Sacramentum's best works, and come out of 12 rounds only to lose on a split decision. I had mixed feelings when I heard that they'd reformed recently to make new material, as it's just as possible that they could piss all over their legacy with a duff release as it was that they could release another classic. Today however, I'm concentrating on their only full length - and what a fantastic album it is.

The aforementioned Dissection and Sacramentum do share large similarities with Vinterland, by way of storming tremolo picked guitar melodies played at high speeds, topped with machine gun drumming and rasping vocals. There are also melancholic acoustic interludes, and a sparing usage of choral synthesizers and piano (played by Dan Swano) to add that extra bit of atmosphere for the slower sections, but it's the pairing of the fast and mid-paced work that really works the magic best on this release. The guitar melodies are of the highest quality, managing to be simultaneously beautiful and visceral in keeping with their lyrical topics (which range from the splendor of nature, to its bleak harshness). Unlike a lot of the watered down modern melodic black metal, this album begs to be listened to that one more time for its sheer inventiveness and magnitude, even eleven years after its original release it still sounds fresh and invigorating - no mean feat for any melodic black metal album.

This album is generally considered a classic by all those who've been touched by its sheer presence. So, if you're one of the unfortunates who have yet to discover this band first time around, you should really hunt this album down (it was out of print for a while, but was re-issued). Seek and enjoy.

Originally written for www.metalcrypt.com

Sweden’s Vinterland are an oddity. They’re much loved on the underground and, after the release of their 1996 full-length debut, seemed to have the world at their feet. Could they have conquered all on the black metal scene? Possibly. However, after their debut, which is entitled ‘Welcome To My Last Chapter’, the Swedish trio fell off the face of the Earth rarely to be seen or heard from again. It was unfortunate that the band became masters of mystique and the occult because this debut album pointed to a bright future for the band especially since, at the time, the second wave had passed on and the dawn of a new era was upon us. If only Vinterland had stuck around, they could have dominated this so-called new era if ‘Welcome To My Last Chapter’ is anything to go by. In recent months, the band have come out of the shadows to reveal that they are still active and, apparently, in the process of writing new material but, given the fact that some fourteen years have passed since their debut, I have my doubts and reservations as to whether Vinterland can still cut it in the modern era.

Obviously, since this debut is still a product of the second wave style, Vinterland will probably have to adapt their style in order to sound as fresh as they did when they first burst onto the scene. Looking to songs like the instrumental ‘So Far Beyond... (The Great Vastforest)’, one can only hope Vinterland adopt a more modern sound if they’re to revive their legacy, one which was cut short for unknown reasons (or, at least unknown to me). Songs like the aforementioned, which features wonderfully ethereal synths and a lonesome piano seem to suggest that Vinterland should still have the craft and guile that led them to such success after their debut. However, times have changed, let us not forget. In this day and age, it’s more likely that a band will be lambasted for pining over the second wave, rather than revered for their loyalty to a scene which passed away many moons ago. Despite all this, there are things occurring on the debut which do suggest Vinterland could cut it in the modern era.

Although I wouldn’t necessarily call their music “ahead of its time”, there are features on it, such as the subtle semi-acoustics, which lead me to believe that this album is no where near as generic as much of the material which was produced around 1996, a time when bands were still clinging on to the memory of the second wave, a movement in black metal which had just come to an end, in my opinion, and which had left black metal in a rather precarious position, meaning she had to look for somewhere new to call her home in terms of what styles she could fuse her original sound with. In terms of this album itself, there are certainly aspects which I always felt could be improved, despite the reputation of the band suggesting they can do no wrong. Whilst many call Vinterland one of the coldest black metal bands in existence, I find a lot of warmth in the melodies of songs like ‘A Crystal So Clear’ and even in the clean introductory passage of songs like ‘As I Behold The Dying Sun’, a song which lyrically seems to point towards a very bleak and cold conclusion.

To me, the guitars display a lot of warmth whilst the rasped vocals and lyrical themes of darkness and night appear to suggest otherwise. When it comes to highly melodic black metal, I do tend to feel a wonderful juxtaposition within the structures of an album. As I said, the cold of the vocals, lyrics and tempos are positioned alongside rather warm and fuzzy melodies from the layers of guitar riffs. Unlike your typical depressive black metal affair, this atmospheric black metal classic actually harbours a lot of raw emotions, one’s that remind the listener of feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness and pain. The vocals have a lot to do with this becoming a factor of the music as they’re convincingly emotional without being over-the-top or overbearing. The vocals are a constant source of anguish to tap into and Vinterland use the vocals well to connect with the listener, though I wouldn’t consider them the pivotal aspect of the album, they are a consistent force and drive the feelings melancholy onwards and upwards and away from a juvenile conclusion.

Songs like ‘Vinterskogen’, although far too short, represent Vinterland’s ability to be able to be different and dynamic well. The song features some lush symphonies courtesy of the inclusion of subtle keyboards, an element of this album which I would have liked to have seen more from. The keyboards, with their subtle and sparse influence, create images of kingdoms of ice amidst the fiery warmth of the guitar melodies. The keyboards also, despite their infrequence in appearance, manage to construct a wonderful relationship with, in particular, the guitars. Together they’re formidable and I would have loved to have seen more from them in the wake of songs like ‘Still The Night Is Awake’, a sweet little track which features both working mesmerisingly together. Despite a few niggling doubts and concerns, this album still manages to deserve its classic status. I really do hope that Vinterland come back with at least one more effort as their legacy and their fans deserve that.

This album is a bit of a mystery. This is the one and only full-length album from Sweden's Vinterland. Prior to this, they'd only released a couple of demos. Upon releasing this album, they seem to have vanished. Such an occurrence, in itself, is not all that strange. However, when coupled with the fact that the material is of such high quality, it becomes difficult to understand how and why Vinterland became such an obscure band. Even more mysterious is that they seem to have been one of the few Black Metal bands to avoid getting raped by the typical Unisound/Hellspawn production demons, namely Dan Swanö. Not only does Vinterland share a similar sound to the mighty Dissection, in that they play cold and melodic Black Metal, but they also survived Swanö's unreliable skills as a producer, during the winter of 1995. Released in the autumn of 1996, on No Fashion, Welcome My Last Chapter offers one final mystery in that (as the story goes) the original title of the album was meant to be Wings of Sorrow. This makes sense, as it is also the title of the epic song that closes the record. For whatever reason, the other text was present on the cover and they changed this to the official title.

I first discovered this band during the freezing winter months and was, immediately, drawn to it. I had been seeking something else in the vein of early Dissection as well as Sacramentum's Far Away From the Sun and Sorhin's I Det Glimrande Mörkrets Djup. This was soon recommended to me and I made haste in acquiring it. It was exactly what I was looking for, and more. It's amazing that it took so many years after its release for me to discover this gem.

"Our Dawn of Glory" begins with a clean/acoustic passage that creates a calm feeling, which is abruptly ended by the furious and razor sharp attack of the bitter cold guitar riffs and the unearthly screams. Everything is very clear and powerful, much like the sound on Storm of the Light's Bane, though the overall atmosphere is more somber, especially as it concerns the vocals. The opening moments are as intense as they are memorable. The drums simply beat the life right out of you and the frozen tremolo riffs carry your spirit far beyond on the cold winds of nothingness. The pace is very dynamic, with many twists and turns, and even some tasteful keyboard usage, handled by Dan Swanö. This song is defined as much by the blindingly fast and powerful parts as it is by the slower, more melancholy melodies. It's this structural contrast that lends so much to the epic nature of the song, and the entire record. The track then ends with a similar clean section to that which began things. This is definitely the way to begin an album.

Following this is "I'm An Other In the Night", which starts out with a mournful guitar melody and truly sorrowful vocals. The speed slowly builds up, until it erupts in a fury of hatred and misanthropy, fueled by the tremolo picking and blasting drums. There's some variation in the drumming that adds well to the overall dynamic and keeps things interesting. The vocals have an icy feeling to them, as they're not entirely clear. The bleak feeling becomes even more harsh, later in the song, as things slow down a bit. In this sense, the harshness is not defined by speed but by the feeling conveyed. As the acoustic guitar, briefly, joins the rest, there's some added sense of hopelessness. As the track progresses, the intensity builds and builds, until the pace suddenly slows down again, and the effect is similar to that of slicing open your flesh and the relief that you feel as you see the blood wash over your flesh and drip down onto the snow-covered ground.

"So Far Beyond... (The Great Vastforest)" continues from where the previous song left off, featuring a variety of nocturnal sounds, such as that of wolves howling at the full moon, accompanied by a somber piano piece. This creates a very calm and introspective atmosphere, though one that calls to mind unpleasant thoughts and desires of an ultimate ending to this feeble existence.

The instrumental interlude fades into "A Castle So Crystal Clear", which unleashes a dark and mournful feeling that is not too far removed from old Katatonia. The song is rather slow-paced, as the percussion dictates, despite the tremolo picking. This changes, after a couple minutes, and things pick up a little bit. There are some interesting down-picked parts that work well to add a new dimension to the sound, while the drumming keeps a blistering pace beneath.

"As I Behold the Dying Sun" starts with the sounds of falling rain, distant whispers and clean guitars all coming together to create a dark and sorrowful feeling. As the rest of the instruments come in, the tremolo riffs blend with the doomier parts to keep things interesting and dynamic. Again, the early moments possess a similar vibe to that of old Katatonia, before going back to the melodic and cold Black Metal sound that dominates most of the album.

The next song is "Vinterskogen", beginning with a slow and melancholy vibe. The cold and mournful melodies are accompanied by tortured screams and some eerie spoken word passage that adds to the mysterious feeling. The atmosphere is accentuated by simple utilization of the keyboards and acoustic guitar. The feeling is very calm, yet depressive and hopeless. The lead guitar melody, near the end, adds to the overall aura.

"Still the Night Is Awake" bursts forth with frostbitten tremolo riffs and more otherworldly screams. This one is fairly fast-paced, keeping the frozen intensity and the epic structure, despite the relatively short length. Later in the song, things slow down and the atmosphere becomes more majestic as the blizzard engulfs your spirit and carries you toward oblivion.

This is followed by "A Winter Breeze", which has a strange opening riff. It's not as cold as the majority of the album, though the bleak and hopeless feeling is more present than ever. The typical frozen riffs do weave throughout the song, as well as slower open-arpeggio riffs that add to the desolate feeling. The middle section of the song is reminiscent of early Burzum in structure and vibe. This one works as a good lead-in to the final track.

The album concludes with "Wings of Sorrow", which features slow and mournful riffs, a spoken word passage that is accompanied by tormented screams in the background and some acoustic bits as well. This is the longest song on the album, clocking in at just under nine minutes. It takes its time to build up, creating an atmosphere of cold nocturnal sorrow.

"Come, come please and grab my hands
And may the frozen winds caress my empty soul..."

Something about this part reminds me of the first Ophthalamia album, A Journey In Darkness. The vocals are even more unrestrained than on the previous songs, giving this one added passion and intensity of a different kind. The guitar melodies are memorable in a very haunting sense, sure to flow through your veins like ice water. The songwriting is absolutely brilliant and makes one wonder how and why this band faded into obscurity after this release, especially considering how many inferior bands were left standing. By the end of the song, the guitars and drums fade out as a somber piano outro ends this epic song.

"Let the wings of grief carry me to the kingdom far beyond all light"

This is an amazing album that should be sought after by anyone with a preference for cold and somber Black Metal, in the vein of Dissection, Burzum, Sacramentum, etc. My only disappointment comes from the fact that Vinterland only made one full-length and that it took me so long to get my hands on it. Buy this and let it carry you on frozen winds...

There are almost 35 degrees outside my home in this moment and I’m quite sure I’m gonna die in few seconds. I had to find something with a great burden of coldness with icy sounds that could bring me virtually in another place where I can inhale the icy winds of a snow storm. In Italy the hot period is too humid as you could understand but the winter is quite cold and I already have nostalgic thoughts about it.

Anyway, I’ve chosen this album because to me it represents one of the coldest and evocative forms of black metal after the Immortal albums. This band is a true cult in the scene due to the release of a single album, this one. It’s an excellent piece of icy black metal full of scratchy, evocative and freezing riff and finally I start to fell myself a bit better. The songs are long, full of tempo changes and mostly melodic; we are talking about a strange form of black metal that is not completely violent or melodic, finding always a perfect balance between these two characteristics.

If “I’m Another In The Night” is faster with riffs ala Dissection but the following “So Far Beyond…” represents the most obscure and symphonic side of the band with an excellent, dramatic piano part. Even during the fastest songs we can find clean arpeggios to give the melody under the power and the iciness of the electric guitars sound. That is great because it gives the right atmosphere over the most violent side.

The majestic, grandiose keyboards with the arpeggios of a song like “A Castle So Crystal Clear” are awesome for the atmosphere of a song that is more similar to a march in the snow. When the blast beats enter, the riffs are faster but always with a foot in the classic melody. The lead guitars lines are essential in this sound to support the rhythmic open chords parts. The vocals are the classic suffered and evocative shrieks full of melancholy and despair and sometimes they reminded me a bit those by Forgotten Tomb.

The classic sensation of desperation and despair they are able to create in this music is great. The winter is recreated in each single form in these songs. The landscapes of ice, fog and storms are all in these songs. The epic feeling is great to fill the songs give the sensation of exaltation in front of such beautiful and sad panorama. If you’re searching for a band that could recreate the winter in music beside Immortal, try these ones and they will not disappoint you.

Now I’m feeling better and somehow I stopped sweating. Thanks Vinerland and I believe I’ll get back to you soon…

Wow…that’s the first thing that comes to my mind after hearing Vinterland’s “Welcome to My Last Chapter”, the sheer intensity of the whole album is just immense and powerful. The blistering riffs, the ferocious vocals that may frighten even the biggest Black Metal fans (First time I heard “Our Dawn of Glory” the opening vocals scared the hell out of me). The blast beats of the drums are pretty impressive, especially in “So Far Beyond… (The Great Vast Forest)”, although the drumming is very similar to a lot of other Black Metal bands, there’s plenty of “boom, boom, boom” and other blast beats used to keep it varied. There’s even Acoustic thrown in to add to this great experience.

The album creates a great atmosphere of despair, lack of hope and depression; it uses the themes of death, weather types such as snow, winter and darkness in order to do this. The lyrics are stunning and are also very poetic:

“With fury I feel the night appear within
in the moonlight so cold, I was born
I was born”.

Repetition is used often in the songs in order to get their message across. The songs are also written like poetry using two verses per each stanza; this proves that this isn’t your typical Bible bashing Black Metal band.

Best songs include “A Castle So Crystal Clear”, “Our Dawn of Glory”, and “As I Behold the Dying Sun”.

Furthermore, I truly recommend this album if you like Black Metal with an edge or metal that is extreme.

Anyone who’s into Black metal would know it ‘s simply WINTER MUSIC. Whether it’s with fog, frost or snow, this season provides the ideal conditions to listen to such a superior music style. It’s a season of darkness and sorrow, and if you’re looking for the ultimate expression of the latter, look no further!

VINTERLAND’s “WELCOME MY LAST CHAPTER” is simply an epitome of sorrow and grief. I don’t want to repeat what was said in the previous reviews, so I’ll be as precise and concise as possible: WMLC redefines the term “BEAUTY”. In fact, it’s a profoundly sorrowful album with incredibly beautiful riffs and melodies, and although I’d love to be more specific, words fail me at this stage… All I can say is that this album is as honest as it gets as far as art reflecting the feelings of people is concerned, and the members of Vinterland definitely put themselves into it. And I, as a Black Metaller, really identify with the atmosphere that their first and only release successfully creates.

I will keep this review short, but one thing is certain: If you’re passionate about Black Metal and are about to wander through the falling snow across the wintry landscape, with your earphones soothing your senses with a musical expression of winter’s sorrowful majesty, then “WELCOME My LAST CHAPTER” should be the sound that you hear!

VINTERLAND are a second generation Swedish black metal band, who some how got completely shafted during their short reign of terror. With Welcome to my Last Chapter being their only full length, VINTERLAND have forfeited the chance of being a among Sweden’s elite scene of melodic black metal bands.
VINTERLAND defiantly have Swedish sound not to dissimilar from other acts such as DAWN, DISSECTION, and SACRAMENTUM. Yet while these other bands have a very polished, fast paced sound, VINTERLAND have a slightly darker and more doomy approach. Tracks such as a castle so clear, show VINTERLAND at their highest point, seamlessly melding melody with sorrow, to create a mixture that sounds somewhat like KATATONIA mixed one of the Swedish bands listed above. At VINTERLAND’s lower points such as the opening track I’m another in the night, they still maintain a status of good black metal.
The guitar work of VINTERLAND is defiantly what sets the band above most other Swedish black metal bands. Many of the riffs on here are just beautiful, and you can tell right away there is a lot of passion behind them. The guitar work is often built upon slow drones and simple sorrowful melodies, yet VINTERLAND has an excellent second guitar which always connects these sorrowful strummings with flawless melodic blackened perfection. Yes the Blackened Swedish guitar sound we’ve all come to love is very prominent on this album.
The vocals on here are good as well, and while nothing groundbreaking sound very sincere and straight from the soul. When you listen to VINTERLAND you can really tell the singer is letting loose because his range sounds very natural, and very uncontrolled. The drumming on here is nothing amazing, but gets the job done well, and does not take anything away.
All in all VINTERLAND are a hidden gem, whose music shines with radiance and passion. Those who enjoy the more sorrowful side of black metal, particularly bands like early KATATONIA and more recently FORGOTTEN TOMB should defiantly check out this band. I know that if VINTERLAND would have stayed together loner, they to would have been crowned as an elite and essential Swedish black metal band. Fortunately we do have one album by VINTERLAND, so the least we can do is check this one out

This album is pure brilliance. Sure, Vinterland's type of BM has been done before. But not in they way they do it. Imagine Stormblast-era Dimmu Borgir meets Burzum and Dissection. The result is Vinterland, a black metal band that manages to combine great production with intense melody and a depressive atmosphere. And it's just fucking brilliant.

Let me start out by saying that this is not another melodic black metal album that "troo kvltists" will automatically put on their shit-lists. There are almost no symphonics, keyboards, operatic/clean vocals, or pointless orchestral breaks. There are acoustics, yes, but they're intertwined with the black metal elements of WMLC perfectly. In other words, even fans of "kvlt blak metl" would enjoy this.

First, and most importantly, the riffs. They are fucking amazing! Welcome My Last Chapter contains some of the best riffs I've heard; they're beautiful, depressing and fucking awesome... all at the same time. It's literally too hard to explain just how great they are; I've heard lots of similar riffs from different bands, but Vinterland just have something going that is too difficult to put into words. You'll have to hear this for yourself.

Next, we come to the vocals, which only add to the brilliant atmosphere the riffs build up. The vocals are filled with pain and sorrow, much in the same way Dissection's vocals are. Perfectly fit for the music. The lyrics are equally great.

The drumming is the usual for black metal, but it fits perfectly. The bass isn't really audible, but this takes nothing away from the great riffs and vocals.

I recommend you give this album a listen, no matter your favourite genre of metal. Vinterland bring you straight into a dark Scandinavian forest in the middle of Winter. The album is all about atmosphere, and if that's what you're looking for, I guarantee that you will not be disappointed with WMLC. It's fucking black metal. Need I say more?

Highlights: Our Dawn of Glory, Wings of Sorrow, As I Behold the Dying Sun, A Castle So Crystal Clear

I can't believe these guys split up after just this one full-length ; proof there's no God I suppose, or there is and he really hates heavy fucking metal!
Anyhows, this is my first review so it might seem a bit blotchy. < No expert at writing reviews.

I have to start off by saying that this is a really great album, and while the production isn't right perfect, its the type I dig, not too clean I guess but not to raw. Also that I'm surprised this only has one review (besides mine) ; or am I, great music always seems underappreciated.

In my opinion, the higly melodic and epic-sounding fourth track, A Castle so Crystal Clear, is the high point of the album. It was when I heard this song that I had to go to any length to find a copy of Welcome my Last Chapter. That's not to say the other songs are bad though ; because they're not.

Welcome to my last Chapter is a great album, and in my opinion every fan of black metal should own it ; whether you like true Norweigen black metal or the more commercial stuff (Dark Funeral). In fact, every fan of music should own this; even if you can't find it anywhere near where you live, download a copy, you need to hear this! Really underrated stuff.

It's really sad that this is the only full length released by Vinterland. They had something that's really unique and amazing. Black Metal doesn't get much better than this!

This is a brillant album which while its not neccessary a concept album it does have a theme of Night, Forests, Glory runnning through it.

The style on music played is more a melodic black metal style. Superior to melodic death bands but containing elements of black metal too. The first track is a ripsnorter, which opens with acoustic and blasts into fast paced melodic death with great lifts and only a few vocals lines. This band reminds me a little known Sinaporean band Enhorted.

The vocals have a raspy black metal style, in a good way, and the music is fast, melodic, epic, masterful, grandous. It has marvellous moments and really transports you to a different place with its brilliant BRILLIANT guitar riffs, with Our Dawn of Glory being the best song.

Its a great change of pace and really has its own genre. More than swedish melodic death, more than norweigan black metal....just unqiue.