'Within the Frozen Design'

 (Self-released CD)










MARK: 70/100




 
Achieving the second album aim and not to be confused with the handful of homonymous bands dealing with other styles, the Brits keep playing Goth Dark Melodic metal with a few Doom hints, like in the closer "The Frozen Siren", seeming to own the potential to rival with The Gathering, or just for a few seconds in "Shadow Weaver".
The four-piece used a drum machine on this album and simple Marshall amps, which doesn't often make justice to the riffs; sometimes it happens that the riffs are so memorable to overcome this issue, such is the case of "Dark Awakening", where the keyboards make well-tailored interventions in order to deliver depth and pompousness to the song.
The long and dark instrumental "Waves of Misery" is another highlight of the album, unfortunately hindered by the use of a drum machine (not suitable for this genre) and a weak production which I didn't expect from an English recording studio in 2013; on occasion the drums are fairly better, and I'm referring to "Beneath the Mystery", but here again the vocals should have been more aggressive or could have been given more emphasis; they're not ugly but they don't stand out because of personality and in "Afraid to Speak" they're a bit too close to Lacuna Coil's; these seem to be the causes of the missed involving by most of the compositions. Another exception is "Wasted Feelings", leaving its mark on our minds and chosen to be depicted with a video due to its undeniable groove and value.
As to the lyrics, this sophomore musical offering is a concept on a being trapped in his own universe, which he believes he is designing and constructing; as the story unfolds, he realizes it was all mere coincidence and had no control and thus spirals into madness.
Winter Storm aren't debuting anymore, and that's why instead of comparing them to a rough diamond, I find more appropriate to describe them as a Lamborghini travelling with the hand brake up. Let's hope that "Within the Frozen Design" be remastered one of these days...


MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - January 10th, 2014
























Line-up on this record:
Hannah Filedhouse - v., lead g.
Wayne Taylor - seven string g.
Doomsday - k., synths
Jamie Downes - b.




Contacts:
West Midlands - UK
E-mail: winterstorm@live.co.uk
Official site:
http://www.winter-storm.com



Demo-/Disco-graphy:
-Serenity in Darkness (CD - 2010)
-Within the Frozen Design (CD - 2013)