Their first full length after two EPs, one of which goes all the way back to 2013, Wintermoon gives us Immortal-worshipping black metal of a high caliber. The whole album is pure Immortal worship from riffs to vocals to the themes of cold and ice. It's very good stuff. They do throw us a few curveballs that aren't exactly in the Immortal canon, like the way they play their solos and some of the songwriting. Their guitars also don't have mountains of effects on them like Abbath's. They have an almost power metal-like sense of melody at times, too, when it comes time for a melodic passage, rather like the band Forefather from the UK. I also hear tinges of Bathory's viking metal albums in some spoken word passages and atmospheric pieces throughout the album. I don't mind clone bands at all, because everyone has an idea of what metal should sound like, and these gents think it should sound like Immortal. That's perfectly ok to do. I enjoyed this one immensely, and it's a fine accomplishment for the band. It's worth repeated listens.
