Vintersorg

Visions From the Spiral Generator (Napalm)
by Martin Popoff

With a distinct and impassioned vocal now known as much for his work with Borknagar as his namesake band, Vintersorg, our man turns in his cleanest, most precise record yet. With That Voice, and these complex, obscurely-toned melodies, things have not changed a whole lot. But the black metal has diminished, and the (real) drum sound no longer crackles. Personnel-wise, bass duties are handled by four-string thinker Steve DiGiorgio (not as prominent as I would have liked), and the drums by Borknagar bandmate Asgeir Mickelson, making this a living, breathing thing, even if the production is a bit dull-ish, not so much (and nowhere) bad, just… conservative. Faves would be the one-minute intro track, “Quotation,” with its gathering tidal swell, and “A Metaphysical Drama,” with its most sublime and memorable chorus vocal. Which brings up a good point: This is very much a vocal showcase album, Vintersorg turning in all sorts of styles, many of which have crept into the extreme due to his trailblazing. “E.S.P. Mirage” is quite funny, given its Jag Panzer melodies, and “A Star-Guarded Coronation” sounds like David Sylvian (new agey music included), but when Vintersorg goes black metal, it sounds like a weak snivel: Not good at this style. And, in fact, most of the black metal/blast bits sound merely state of the art, state of an art that already exists (in Borknagar!), which is actually a creative failure for this man who pushes into new territory so effortlessly.
(www.spvusa.com)