Perdition

The Australian epic, melodic black metal project Astral Winter is back again with a second full length release Perdition. This time around the music is stripped down to the basics with nary a trace of metal. The end result is a somewhat meditative, ambient/neo-classical blend of soft, atmospheric music. Perdition was released in March 2013 by Immortal Frost Productions.

The music on Perdition has a very human element to it. A large part of this is due to the sound and performance of the acoustic and clean electric guitars. All of the guitars have a light, almost celestial sound to them. There’s not a lot of thickness or depth. This combined with the odd pick scrap, slight string buzz and muffled note (thinking of the track Disappearing Into Night’s Embrace) creates a natural, human feel to the music. In my opinion this is something that gives the songs character and keeps the music honest. It gives more feeling to the music.

Perdition was built on basic, repetitiveness. The basic rhythms, ambience and nature soundscapes create the repetitive base from which more intricate piano and guitar melodies conjure cold, majestic, visions in the listeners head. The beautiful, stunning piano leads take centre stage and are often accompanied by string ensembles, violins, choirs, bass, flutes and even some ethereal/haunting vocal passages which add to the neo-classical element of the mix. Josh Young is a talented musician and his performances are all great. Now I mentioned the vocal passages which appear on the tracks “To Destroy the Vale of Time” and “Shrouded in Mist and Pale Light”. Though the words are pretty well indecipherable to the ear (lyrics are provided in the booklet) the vocals do add another ambient element. They sound sort of like soft monk-like chanting or humming which adds to the ethereal, mysterious atmosphere.

The album flows as one song but is broken up into 8 tracks. Perdition comes in just under 40 minutes of music but it feels like it ends too quickly. I guess it’s just too easy to get lost in the wintry atmospheres and captivating piano leads. To be honest I fell asleep a couple of times while listening to the album. I don’t mean this as a negative thing. Actually I consider it quite the opposite. There is a certain meditative quality to the music which is very relaxing and soothing. It’s an enjoyable listening experience from start to finish. It’s an album I’m not afraid to hit the repeat button on because it just never seems to get old. Each time I listen I take away something new from the experience.

It’s important to note that Perdition is a ‘one-off’ album and does not represent the future direction of Astral Winter. Mr. Young is already hard at work on a third full length album which I’ll be eagerly awaiting to see how the music continues to evolve. This is another great release from a label that I have come to expect nothing less from. Beautiful music packaged together with beautiful artwork. Highly recommended for fans of ambient, neo-classical and atmospheric music.

- Review by Midwinter Fires Webzine