Customer Reviews

Prominence & Demise

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This band consists of members of many highly successful metal acts, perhaps most of all Hellhammer, one of the best known underground drummers of all-time. The band itself is a highly skilled and genuinelly unique combination of classical, progressive, and metal styles. Violin's, Cello's, Piano, Guitar, Drums, and Bass(among others) are all present and recieve equal playtime in something truelly magical in the world of metal.

Their previous albums were much less metal oriented than this album is. There is much more guitar/drum syncopation, guitar solo's, and metal rhythmes, but that is not to say that there is any less string work on the record. This is what bands like Therion have done, but I think this band actually does it better. Winds' approach is very different from someone like Therion though, so I don't want to be misleading. Where Therion relies heavily upon operatic vocals and more classical instruments on their albums than the metal aspects, Winds does the opposite. There are clean vocals, but they are a more freeform and like something you might hear in gothic metal(male sung gothic metal like Moonspell or Sentenced), not power metal. His voice is unique and he does a wonderful job of keeping the band legitimatly singular in their craft. But the music overall is, as I stated a few times already, more metal oriented and almost every song on their records includes simple but amazing guitar riffs/solos and drumbeats. It is worth nothing(again) that the drummer of Winds is none other than Hellhammer, one of the best and under-appreciated drummers in the scene. Whereas he has been known for his speed and insane dexterity/agility previously, he brings to Winds a melodic and creative sensibility that diversifies him from most underground metal drummers. Think Hoglan from Death's "Symbolic". His beats are always varied and he loves to add splashs, fills, and a vast array of double-bass syncopations to match what is going on with the guitarwork. None of his work impresses me as much as his work with Winds, especially on this particular cd.

This cd is for fans of all kinds of melodic metal, classical music, and progressive metal. Fans of any of these genre's will find something to appreciatte herein.

If you read the other reviews here you may get a distorted view of what this album is about. Lars Eric Si's vocal performance is spot on for this album. His style is definitely not a normal power metal/traditional metal style. It's more of a relaxed, non-forced approach which tends to sound very organic. Carl August Tideman's guitar work is outstanding, but what else should you expect... His two handed style continues to impress, especially when it comes to his solos. The solos are very far removed from that of Opeth, as previously stated, as they tend to be more short lived and fast paced. One thing to note is that there is a lot more palm muting and rhythm played than on the previous albums. Hellhammer once again puts forth an outstanding performance. He shows once again why he is one of metal's most brilliant drummers. And last, but certainly not least, Andy Winter provides an excellent backdrop of keyboards and piano work. This album is not about being over the top with progressiveness, nor is it about flashy showmanship. This album always puts me in mind of metal musicians taking a more laid back approach and making quiet metal. This is definitely recommended to fans of progressive/power metal as well as any fans of the members previous work. This album will definitely stay on my list for some time.

This is one awesome album..Thats all I gotta say...If your a fan of Progressive Metal...check it out.

Winds is a band that has a lot of talent. All around I would say from vocals, guitar, bass, and drums... these guys are fantastic. I could almost enjoy this as much if it were all instrumental.. but then we would miss out on Lars E. Si' vocals, which is a talent all in it's self. He is now, slowly becoming one of my top 10 favorite vocalists. Anyways, you just gotta check these guys out yourself if you enjoy progressive/ hard-rock/ metal.

I cannot get over how flawless this cd is! Every instrument played to perfection. The vocal harmonies are relaxing, while Hellhammer keeps everything moving along with his precise drumming. The guitars remind me a little of Opeth solos at times which is never a bad thing. All in all a great listen.