Gmork / Astarium / In Tenebriz - Mysterious Winds of Ancient Past (2012)

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Arriving from Russia, today we have a very solid split release between Gmork, Astarium and In Tenebriz. All of the bands here are Russian, and they play different variations of Atmospheric Black Metal. With almost four songs each on this release, we get a very good glimpse about each band’s style and their unique features. If you are a person looking for new bands to like, this is the perfect release to get an impression of three talented groups.

Gmork opens up the release with four Russian titled tracks so we avoid the embarrassment of writing their names here, and will just refer to the by number. The first song opens with some cool spoken (in Russian) section and it slowly moves into atmospheric territory with some cool synths and very simple and effective guitars. Howling winds open the second track as it starts revealing its very regal and medieval-esque atmospheric elements. The harsh vocals make their appearance and provide a decent combination of growls and more BM-esque screams. Our favorite track from this band is their last song on the split, allowing them to show a very unified and diverse style. Combining melancholic guitars with tight drums and very enjoyable atmospheric elements, the band left a very good impression on us.

The album’s mood immediately changes with Astarium’s “In Twilight of the Gods”, the production behind the band’s tracks is a bit better than the previous band, and it also has a darker and slower pace. In this track the band sets a very eerie mood thanks to the vocals and imposing atmospheric elements. Being a one man band, Astarium delivers quite playful and enjoyable symphonic music with “Center of the Cross”. The best song of the band comes under the name of “Embraces of Mermaid”, a highly atmospheric piece that is both chilling and very lush and appealing. If you like highly atmospheric BM with some symphonic elements, this is the band for you.

Closing this release we have In Tenebriz, a band that nicely build’s up to their appearance in this release with the opener “Before the Birth of the Gods”. The remainder of the tracks have Russian song titles, so we will just refer to them by number. As the second song opens, we hear a very different approach than the two previous bands with In Tenebriz focusing on a more repetitive style. It is not until the band’s third track in this split were we started to enjoy their music, with the band delivering a cool stop-and-go Black Metal with some cool atmospheric elements and fast-paced sections. The album’s closer is the best track by this band, allowing the release to end on a high note thanks to the band’s superb atmospheric elements and simplistic music.

Overall, “Mysterious Winds of Ancient Past” is quite an enjoyable release that features a very diverse set of bands. If you are looking to expand your musical horizons, we recommend you pick up a copy of this awesome release and start discovering new bands from the wintry lands of Russia.

Band: Gmork / Astarium / In Tenebriz Album: Mysterious Winds of Ancient Past

Label: Dark East Productions

Release: June 1st, 2012

Astarium / Gmork / In Tenebriz  

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Country: Russia

Rating: 86/100
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