Winds brilliant debut titled Reflections of the I was released in
spring 2002 by The End Records. This album contains 16 tracks with duration of 70 minutes. The first 11 songs are part of the
Reflections of the I release. The last 5 songs are from the debut EP called Of Entity And Mind. Artwork was provided by the legend in the making Travis Smith. The album was recorded at Top-Room Studio in March-April 2001 with help from Borge Finstad. The band is Grammy winner Lars Eric Si on vocals/bass, 2-time Grammy winner Jan Axel Von Blomberg (i.e., Hellhammer) on drums, Carl August Tidemann on guitars and Andy Winter on keys.
Somber piano and violin opens Clarity followed by progressive
drumming and guitar riffs with a few somber vocal lines. Realization follows with melodic beauty in the orchestrated viola/violin with romantic vocals by Lars. This opens the way for a harmonious guitar solo carrying for a minute, then back into the main song. A solo combined with strummed riff makes up an interesting section from Of Divine Nature. Besides that is the progressive nature of the riffing interspersed with violin and drums while Lars rolls over everything with his clean vocals. Transition is just that, slow and romantic keys combine with violin to open the song in lush beauty. Leading into the rock/metal is Passion's Quest, which really pares well musically with Lars voice and Carl's guitar mastery. Reason's Desire is the song I heard on The End Records sampler that convinced me to buy this masterwork. What can I say, Reason's Desire is a killer
song, a bit more straightforward and upbeat then most of the other songs. Premonition is an upbeat instrumental with beautiful
keys/violin/cello/viola plus a beat. Remnants of Beauty is a
brilliant song showing off Lars vocal talent and the technical music of this rock outfit in its entire mood. This song frame continues into Existence. Continuance begins mellow with vocals and keys with light drums leading into short closing instrumental called Predominance. Inception Perspective begins the EP portion in Pink Floyd like fashion. Keyboards and drums get In All Reflections off the ground before the guitar and vocals come in. Bloodstained and Sworn is a nice song more mellow then grandiose, but has some sweeping solos. Progressive riffs and odd noted keys open Mirrored In Time, which leads to a slower pace and somber vocal lines. An Eternity of Dreams contains more piano/keys and mellow vocals, but also kicks in with guitar solos and drums about a minute in before slowing down again.
Reflections of the I is simply an amazing album that will please all
fans of real music I think. The EP isn't quite as great as the album
as it's missing the warm production quality of the newer material
though still really good. This is somewhat dark album that fans of
Evergrey, Therion, Anathema and Arcturus will likely appreciate.
Get the Winds CD for only $11
http://www.theendrecords.com
http://www.winds.nu
I just found out about this and it's an amazing gift for those
interested, might have to buy it again even though I already own the original. Note this is totally different from the bands current
sound as described below, but a classic in my mind.
ARCTURUS - Aspera Hiems Symfonia + Const
Classic re-issue of the debut album from Norway's ARCTURUS, now complete with new artwork and the legendary and highly
collectable "Constellation" and "My Angel" EP's as a bonus. This
album has also been re-mixed and re-mastered by Norse legend Ulver who along with Hellhammer from Mayhem founded this groundbreaking act. Since it's original release in 1995 on the Misanthropy label the band have gone on to become one of the most respected and diverse metal acts of recent times. With top selling albums on the Music For Nations label like "La Masquerade Infernale" and their new album "The Sham Mirrors" just released to great critical acclaim, this timely re-issue will be lapped by new and old black metal fans alike! See how this infamous black metal "supergroup" started with one of the finest debut albums in underground metal history. $12 at The End Records
spring 2002 by The End Records. This album contains 16 tracks with duration of 70 minutes. The first 11 songs are part of the
Reflections of the I release. The last 5 songs are from the debut EP called Of Entity And Mind. Artwork was provided by the legend in the making Travis Smith. The album was recorded at Top-Room Studio in March-April 2001 with help from Borge Finstad. The band is Grammy winner Lars Eric Si on vocals/bass, 2-time Grammy winner Jan Axel Von Blomberg (i.e., Hellhammer) on drums, Carl August Tidemann on guitars and Andy Winter on keys.
Somber piano and violin opens Clarity followed by progressive
drumming and guitar riffs with a few somber vocal lines. Realization follows with melodic beauty in the orchestrated viola/violin with romantic vocals by Lars. This opens the way for a harmonious guitar solo carrying for a minute, then back into the main song. A solo combined with strummed riff makes up an interesting section from Of Divine Nature. Besides that is the progressive nature of the riffing interspersed with violin and drums while Lars rolls over everything with his clean vocals. Transition is just that, slow and romantic keys combine with violin to open the song in lush beauty. Leading into the rock/metal is Passion's Quest, which really pares well musically with Lars voice and Carl's guitar mastery. Reason's Desire is the song I heard on The End Records sampler that convinced me to buy this masterwork. What can I say, Reason's Desire is a killer
song, a bit more straightforward and upbeat then most of the other songs. Premonition is an upbeat instrumental with beautiful
keys/violin/cello/viola plus a beat. Remnants of Beauty is a
brilliant song showing off Lars vocal talent and the technical music of this rock outfit in its entire mood. This song frame continues into Existence. Continuance begins mellow with vocals and keys with light drums leading into short closing instrumental called Predominance. Inception Perspective begins the EP portion in Pink Floyd like fashion. Keyboards and drums get In All Reflections off the ground before the guitar and vocals come in. Bloodstained and Sworn is a nice song more mellow then grandiose, but has some sweeping solos. Progressive riffs and odd noted keys open Mirrored In Time, which leads to a slower pace and somber vocal lines. An Eternity of Dreams contains more piano/keys and mellow vocals, but also kicks in with guitar solos and drums about a minute in before slowing down again.
Reflections of the I is simply an amazing album that will please all
fans of real music I think. The EP isn't quite as great as the album
as it's missing the warm production quality of the newer material
though still really good. This is somewhat dark album that fans of
Evergrey, Therion, Anathema and Arcturus will likely appreciate.
Get the Winds CD for only $11
http://www.theendrecords.com
http://www.winds.nu
I just found out about this and it's an amazing gift for those
interested, might have to buy it again even though I already own the original. Note this is totally different from the bands current
sound as described below, but a classic in my mind.
ARCTURUS - Aspera Hiems Symfonia + Const
Classic re-issue of the debut album from Norway's ARCTURUS, now complete with new artwork and the legendary and highly
collectable "Constellation" and "My Angel" EP's as a bonus. This
album has also been re-mixed and re-mastered by Norse legend Ulver who along with Hellhammer from Mayhem founded this groundbreaking act. Since it's original release in 1995 on the Misanthropy label the band have gone on to become one of the most respected and diverse metal acts of recent times. With top selling albums on the Music For Nations label like "La Masquerade Infernale" and their new album "The Sham Mirrors" just released to great critical acclaim, this timely re-issue will be lapped by new and old black metal fans alike! See how this infamous black metal "supergroup" started with one of the finest debut albums in underground metal history. $12 at The End Records
