Divine Wintertime/Through the Woods, Towards the Dawn
Artists: Immortal Souls/Mordecai
Label: Little Rose Productions
Length: 8 tracks / 35:14
What is it about Scandinavia, and Finland in particular, that allows
for such a beautiful bonding of melodic distortion and wintry atmosphere?
Whatever it is, Little Rose's third major release is another triumph in
their quest to bring Christian metal up to speed with the rest of the genre.
Two of the stars on the From Kaamos...To Midnight Sun compilation--Immortal
Souls and Mordecai--are here given four tracks each. Immortal Souls' "Snow
Soul" and Mordecai's "Dawn Eternal" from the compilation reappear.
Immortal Souls play accessible, melodic death that emphasizes flowing
orchestrations over heavy riffs (typical Scandinavian style), with some
borrowing from black metal and some welcome hooks and occasional rock structures.
Think especially early Sentenced, but also In Flames, Dark Tranquillity,
and the like.
Mordecai also goes for a fluid orchestral sound, but on the atmospheric/melodic
black metal end of things, with nods to grandmasters like Dimmu Borgir,
Cradle of Filth, and even Emperor. Synths float beneath the speed-then-slow
guitars, while the vocals drag the syllables out through gargly rasps and
low growls, with some pleasant background harmonies.
For the most part, the lyrics avoid both the negativity of their
satanic counterparts and the silliness of traditional Christian metal,
but for every poetic turn of phrase there's an awkward translation into
English that holds them back. The wonder of winter and the praise of Christ
are the two themes that fill both bands' imagination. Immortal Souls' "Snow
Soul" seems to glory in winter as a symbol of suffering that strengthens:
My heart beats
in sync with the nature
I wait for the
coldest winter
I am the snow
soul...
Let it snow...upon
my soul...I see my
troubles come
and go...your given hope...
grace from above...my
belief keeps strengthening...
While Mordecai's "The Last Winter" likens the end times to
a final winter season:
Wintry paths
take me towards
The One I love
And now my mind
flies me to the peace
The salvation
I have
The guidance
through these mazes of winter
The everlasting
time suddenly starts
To fade in your
eyes
The coming of
Jesus is near...
With most styles of rock there's really no need to have a "Christian"
alternative, but with the blasphemy inherent in most black and death metal
it's nice to have a few bands to redeem the genre for fans. Unfortunately,
Immortal Souls and Mordecai are both paint-by-numbers bands at this point.
Highly competent, but with no creativity. Time will tell if they have the
ability to move beyond imitation into innovation.
Josh Spencer (4/11/99)
