Review Summary: Wintherr's debut is also his crowning jewel.
In it’s thirteen year existence, Paysage d’Hiver has yet to release a full length record despite being one of the most prolific artists in the black/ambient genre. Everything released from 1998 to 2007 has been a demo sans two split EP’s with Lunar Aurora and Das Winterreich. Don’t be fooled by the lack of albums or the minimal number of tracks found on the demos because most of Paysage’s work contain lengthy, musically complex numbers that often exceed the ten minute mark. Another misconception could be that since Paysage’s discography consists solely of demos, one might think the band is of demo quality in terms of songwriting abilities. That is false however. Wintherr (Tobias Mockl), sole musician of both Paysage d’Hiver and Darkspace, creatively achieves success in the ambient and black metal genres, often times fusing both to a positive result. The demo in question today is Wintherr’s 1997 debut Steineiche which in my opinion far surpasses anything else I’ve heard from the band.
My first introduction to Paysage d’Hiver was not a pleasant one. As I was just beginning to explore the roots of black metal, I was instantly put off by Wintherr’s lo-fi aesthetic. Consisting of heavy distortion and drone like rhythms, I immediately let my discontent and lack of understanding fill up the thread on sputnik’s listening party. A few years later I listened to the band again. This time around I’ve begun to appreciate the down tempo melodicism and minimalist nature of Paysage d’Hiver.
Steineiche, translating to Stone Oak, is Wintherr’s debut demo and bears somewhat of a nature concept as some of the song titles translate to “The Tree Woman” and “The Tree Man” in English. The demo consists of four lengthy songs, the shortest just surpassing the eleven and a half minute mark. Ambient and black metal elements often intermingle, causing a sort of collision between the two genres. At times the music is very slow and melodic with limited vocals and guitars, while at other times distorted guitars and harsh vocals dominate the funereal atmosphere. At sixty two minutes long, this demo requires patience and some time to sink in since this isn’t a traditional black metal or ambient record. One original complaint I had with the band was it’s lack of progression or variety. None of that is present here however. Aside from the dueling melodic to heavy dynamics, Wintherr throw’s in a few curveballs from time to time. Whether it be the somber violins on Der Baummann, the wind effects on Die Baumfrau, or the operatic female vocals and church bells displayed on the twenty four minute monolith Der Baum, Steineche features an experimental edge which would go on and disintegrate with future releases.
Wintherr is responsible for providing the bulk of the vocals as well as playing every instrument himself. Keyboards, guitar, drums, etc. My favorite part of his performance would have to be the guitars. Much of the time he’s playing heavily down tuned riffs that owe much more to doom than black metal. The lethargic pace of the guitars coupled with oppressive synthesizers and militant drum fills result in a wildly engaging take on the two metal sub genres. But as displayed by the opening track Die Baumfrau, Wintherr still stays true to the second wave of black metal by concocting fierce pickets of mid paced, tremolo picking to complement the hell raising vocals. The storm soon ends and the song slows down in pace, with the guitar and keyboards providing dual melodies.
Vocally, Wintherr is as unintelligible as they come but succeeds in proving a thorough level of aggression. Whether it be the piercing screams on "Die Baumfrau", the ghastly croaks on Der Baummann, or the oddly appealing a capella singing on the closing track “Déj* vu.” Lyrically, it’s virtually impossible to decipher what he’s raving about, unless you happen to be familiar with the German language. Lyrics to this demo are available online. Regardless, lyrics mean nothing to me in black metal as I’m far more interested by the frenzied shrieks and raw atmosphere than anything else.
The rhythm section is debatably the only flaw to this magnificent record. A lack of audible bass and drums that are often consumed by the dense production leave a lot to be desired for. But then again, the drums are rarely played to begin with so it’s not too big of a deal. Truthfully though, the prominent usage of distortion and (most notably) the blasting performance on Die Baumfrau truly are synonymous with one other. The balance of aggression and pure grotesqueness is closer than one would think. As for the bass, the album suffers the standard “where’s the bass?” syndrome but since there is so much going on already who really ***ing cares.
Steineiche, in my opinion, is the pinnacle of black metal in terms of aesthetics, aggression, atmosphere, and spirit. Since the many days and weeks and months that I have been listening to this demo, I have yet to find any real significant flaws that would detract the value from this demo for me. And because of that, I can only recommend this demo to people who truly enjoy listening to black metal. People of the clean production variety, the purple flowery symphonic bull***(used to be me, I won‘t deny), and the hipster clan can *** off and leave this alone for people who really want to hear something great.
