September 27, 2011

Review "The Old Prophecy of Winterland" in Metalliville Webzine (English)



More European metal promise is meted out to us lucky listening headbangers, just like some of us hold shares.

We are promised pure old school black metal by this Spanish combo and sure they don’t lie. Straight in with ‘Black spells’ and onwardly with ‘Order Of The Winter moon’, ‘Cold souls’, ‘Dark Lady’, ‘Winds From The north’ and ‘Frozen Dawn’ disappointment is rare as we are reminded of what proper extreme metal was really like, back in the day before it became fashionable play incessantly fast and gargle your way through an album.

Not that ‘T.O.P.O.W’ is abundant in slow moments, the near-progressive technicality just sounds as authentic as the pioneering entries in the roster, with influences in the solos and rhythms spread across an increasingly vast spectrum of metal - one certain number almost sounds like a death metal attempt at UFO’s ‘Doctor Doctor’. On the covers part of the agenda, the boys bring proceedings to a satisfactory end with a run of Satyr icon’s ‘Fuel for Hatred’ which tires nearly more too hard to prove us that their inspirations are genuine but its great fun to have on board the track listing.

Good touch of classic noise with next to zero tedium as endured in many other areas of the genre recently. 

8/10

By Dave Attrill