If Celtic Frost, or Hellhammer for that matter, ever decided to go in a total doom metal direction, the results probably would have been something along the lines of Winter. This US band released one EP and one full-length album, here being re-issued together by Metal Mind Productions, Into Darkness/Eternal Frost. As the band broke up shortly after signing their deal with Nuclear Blast in 1994, these are the only known recordings from Winter, and are looked at today as some of the most influential doom/death metal recordings coming from that period. Featuring John Alman (bass/vocals), Stephen Flam (guitar), and Joe Gonclaves (drums), the trio offered up excruciatingly slow and heavy dirges, with Alman's growling vocals (which at times are a dead ringer for Tom G. Warrior of Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, but with a certain death metal slant to them). The pace and tempo of tracks like "Destiny" and "Oppression Freedom" are so slow and grueling, you'd half expect them to be a perfect soundtrack to some drawn out funeral march, fueled by ponderous drum work and massive waves of simple yet heavy, droning guitar riffs. Thankfully, tunes like "Eternal Frost", "Servants of the Warsmen", "Into Darkness", and "Goden" pack enough of a punch and even rise slightly above a snails pace to liven things up a little. While many fans hold this in their hearts as somewhat of a classic, your mileage may vary. Some might think that too many of these songs tend to meander quite a bit, and the production is extremely raw and dirty. Still, there's no denying the abrasive and uncommercial nature of these recordings, so if spooky underground doom is your thing, give this little known classic from a couple of guys from New York a try.
Track Listing
1. Oppression Freedom (Reprise)
2. Servants of the Warsmen
3. Goden
4. Power and Might
5. Destiny
6. Eternal Frost
7. Into Darkness
8. Servants of the Warsmen
9. Eternal Frost
10. Winter
11. Blackwhole
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