Into the Sea

Symphonic metal is a genre often stuck in the same boxes, bands often springing up and dying within a single debut EP doing their best to copy Nightwish, keeping their sound well within lines predefined since the early 2000's. The same could be said of US-based symphonic metal band Winter's End, who, in 2016, released an EP ("Lost in the Light") so competent and within these lines it was... fine? Boring? The operatic female vocals, the obligatory "heavy" parts, the standard song structures... it all felt too safe. I forgot about this band for five years.

In 2020, with a nearly entirely new lineup, they released "Into the Sea." It's a step up in all regards, if occasionally perhaps too experimental. Mastered by Jacob Hansen (Epica, Amaranthe...) it feels bigger and more polished on the production side of things -- something symphonic metal begs for, given its compositional complexity and instrumental layers. The riffs are more interesting, stepping out of standard power chord chugging quite often, the vocals are stunning (Jessica exhibits far more range here than in the past, from soaring highs to some tender lows, just see the opening verses of "A Rose in the Ice"), and it's clear we're dealing with a lineup of talented musicians.

So, how is the songwriting? In a word: good. In more words: great, and weird, sometimes. Winter's End color just outside those predefined lines -- think they're coming back for another chorus? No; it's time for a breakdown. Should the album opener be a fast, anthemic track with a catchy hook to grab the listener? No; it's a moody, surreal, 3 minute "artistic" soundscape (which on repeat listens, I realized contains themes from songs on the rest of the album) called "4 AM", finishing with the sounds of the sea and a car driving off into the distance. The song structures keep the listener guessing, which is welcome, in this reviewer's opinion, though not all the curveballs land ("The World They Left Behind" is perhaps the most technical song on the album, but maybe too technical and strange for its own good, despite having a glorious ending).

Lyrically, "Into the Sea" is all over the place, though far superior to the previous EP's preachy or downright cringe-inducing material. The opening track alone ("The Twenty Third Candle", an 8 minute monster) references various works of literature, and it can be hard to piece together exactly what Jessica is singing about. The rest of the album follows suit, painting various images with carefully chosen words and references to other works of art, occasionally dabbling in other languages too (French, in the album closer "Dawn", and Italian, in "The World They Left Behind.") Emotionally, the lyrics work, in a deep melodramatic kind of way. Cerebrally, I'm less sure. Leave logic at the door and you will have a fine time.

It's been over a year since this record released, and based on the band's social media, they are still quite active. I hope their next effort can further refine what they started here. This is a very, very good album (I'm not sure if it's "great", but it is close). With a bit more careful choosing of when to color outside the lines and when to stay within them, I believe Winter's End could one day deliver something worthy of all the talent that's clearly present.