Vindensang’s sound is really quite unlike anything I have experienced before. The blend of ambient/noise, black metal, and a bit of folk may seem like its been done a million times over, but I can assure you that
Terminus: Rebirth In Eight Parts is unique. The main emphasis here is on the ambient, and it serves as a cornerstone for the band’s music. Soundscapes laden in reverb and the hissing of computer-aided effects is presented as the main aspect of the album, with vocals and guitars mixed low in the background. It’s this production which really makes the album what it is. It’s unfair to call this album a metal record simply because it’s not, however much it may hint at it at times. The raspy growls and soft cleans are distant in the background and barely audible at times, adding more of an atmospheric touch than anything else. The dissonance of the percussion is a strong companion for the wandering keyboards and the light acoustic touches, and in songs like “Ashes And Memories” create moments of utter musical perfection as the vocals of J. Neblock sing somewhere below it all.
In case you haven’t gathered, a huge part of what makes
Terminus: Rebirth In Eight Parts so brilliant is it’s atmosphere. Throw all things you’ve gathered about black-metal influenced music and their atmospheres aside, because unlike those sorry, cliched attempts at emotion Vindensang expertly creates it. The album is at no point heavy, and it is never quick in tempo. It is full of slow, deliberate compositions which demand your attention and truly require it. Influences come from all corners, with hints of post-metal, a whole lot of dark ambient, a noticeable amount of black metal, and small nods toward folk, and each element is used with care as to not overuse one or the other. The melodies slowly make their way into the next, with transitions coming few and far between, but when you have melodies this good you just don’t care, because they compliment the vocals with utter perfection in terms of their trance-inducing qualities.
On occasion, the guitars jump ahead in the mix (but not too far as to be at the forefront) to make way for a wonderful harmony, however brief, which adds mountains of appeal to the music. Couple that with the samples of bells, campfires, wind (basically all that crap black metal bands use to make their music “grim”) which are used sparingly to actually compliment the music, and you have a vast array of sounds which really helps keep each song entirely different from the last. At one hour and ten minutes, the album is a lengthy one, but you know what, I guarantee that when this album sucks you in it will seem like thirty.
Terminus: Rebirth In Eight Parts is most definitely the biggest surprise I have had in months, and it is a near perfect album in every singly aspect. Every song is a standout, because each one is entirely different than the last. If you want music which is both lasting and calming, then Vindensang have delivered just the album you are looking for.
