Formed in 1998, this supergroup contained members of Arcturus, Tritonus and Age of Silence is a breath of musical fresh air coming from the extreme metal scene. With the release of 'The Imaginary Direction of Time' Winds solidified there spot on top of the neo-classical progressive movement.
Lineup...
Lars Eric Si - Vocals, bass
Carl August Tidemann - Guitars
Andy Winter - Keyboards
Jan Axel von Blomberg (Hellhammer) - Drums
Session Members...
Andre Orvik - Violin
Vegard Johnsen - Violin
Dorthe Dreier - Viola
Hans Josef Groh - Cello
Tracklist...
What Is Beauty?
Sounds Like Desolation
Theory of Relativity
Visions of Perfection
The Fireworks of Genesis
Under The Stars
A Moment For Reflection
Time Without End
The Final End
Beyond Fate
Silence In Despair
Infinity
Winds combine progressive rock and metal with orchestral arrangements and mix it with a very neo-classical sound, even throwing in a bit of jazz here and there to create this release, The Imaginary Direction of Time.
Rising out the ashes of there first release Reflections of I, it is obvious with this release that Winds have matured as a band. There are more complex song structures, more intense climaxes and more technical musicial arrangements.
Winds have taken their music to new heights both lyrically and musically. They haven't strayed far from the lyrical path of philosophy, they have just reached a new level of elegance with them.
Elegance seems to be a good word to describe this album as a whole. No spot seems to have been left untouched. This albums come off as if every single second of every track had been looked to over and made perfect, the music blends together as if these guys have been playing together for twenty or thirty years.
Throughout the whole album, every single instrument has a chance to shine. Carl August Tidemann shows that he is one hell of a guitarist, blazing through yngwie-esque riffs like it's nobody's business while still being able to throw in his own originality into the solos.
HellHammer's drumming is solid throughout the whole album, this music does not require any type of extreme drumming but he does not hesitate to throw it in there. Some of HellHammer's double base action on this album is absolutely mindblowing.
Andy Winter does a fantastic job on keyboards, blending perfectly with the string section to give the music an extra edge that most progressive bands do not have.
The vocals fit very well with the music, there are no harsh vocals except for a few small shouts in What is beauty? Other than that small exception the vocals range from talking and whispering to all out singing. Lar's voice fits very well with the nature of the music.
The tracks The Fireworks of Genesis, Beyond Fate and What is Beauty? show off the bands ability to play as a whole, rather than individuals. These two tracks essentially sum up what Winds are.
Winds does not shy away from writing slower, more emotional songs. The songs Visions of Perfection and Silence in Despair are two more reasons why Winds are so good. Complex arrangements coming together to awesome climaxes coming from the depths of emotional music. Not a thing is overlooked.
A moment for Reflection and Infinity show how good of a pianist Andy Winter is, instead of just shredding on the keys when he gets the chance he plays music that fits well with the music. His keys add so much to the music it is unbelievable.
A few knocks on this album are that some people may think they are hearing the same things over again. A few of the songs seem to be a bit repetitive.
Another thing is that while Carl's solos are mostly original, i can spot a few licks taken from Yngwie's 'Far Beyond the Sun' and 'Rising Force.' Nothing big, just a measure or two and I have no probelem with it.
At certain times in the album, the album can seem to be a bit boring. Most of the time this leads into a climax in a song but there are a few times where it leads to nothing.
The album also has a few fillers that do not need to be there, the album is already 12 tracks. The fillers are not necessary.
Overall, 4.5/5
A very strong sophomore release from Winds, showing maturity and a better chemistry in the band from there first release.
