Having stepped from point to point without having set any particular expectation of what might come next beyond some manner of sentimental atmospheric black metal this latest mLP from Ukrainian project WINDSWEPT yet has the distinct touch of the author all over its work yet virtually no other vestigial weight set upon its craft. Released with no real pretense and in four droning yet semi-melodic stretches ‘Der eine, wahre König‘ feels like a new direction and a different mode for an entity always willing to experiment toward the intended effect. Though we’ll likely get little to no context on the inner workings of their process this album feels as if it were written intending to accentuate the voice(s) at the heart of its collaboration(s), built as a vessel for an emotive style of guitar work as much as it was to pair with the two formidable vocalists taking the lead this time around.

Windswept formed circa 2014 as a post-black metal side-project under the name Herbarium from R.S. (Hate Forest) who’d taken his bandmates V. and R. from Drudkh, Rattenfänger (and more recently Precambrian) along for the ride, intending to invoke an appreciation of the natural world through different means. Their first EP (‘Shepherd of Winds‘, 2015) was tentatively substantial, something like Botanist from a less experimental post-black point of view with its whispered verses and cloying sense of melody. That’d be the only release under that name beyond a repackaging of the same songs for a split with another side-project, The Old Silver Key. There was some continuity of tone and intent for those two bands wherein the split release felt more like a transitional compilation than anything else.

At a point when Drudkh albums were suddenly fewer and further between Windswept became an intriguing entity for the sake of each of their first two recording sessions having been prepared and recorded in about three days, the suggestion being that improvisation and writing on the spot produced the results of their Season of Mist-released debut ‘The Great Cold Steppe‘ (2017) and the follow-up EP (‘Visionaire‘, 2018) both of which received a fairly undisturbed and raw level of production value in order to preserve the immediacy/integrity of the off-the-cuff performance suggested. The latter of the two was less stripped down, sounded more prepared and couldn’t hold my interest at the time but the debut was intriguing despite its blown out drum sound, no great crime for haze-ridden atmospheric black metal since the guitar interest tracked well enough. At that point it was clear this would not be a post-black metal project but rather a stripped down, less meticulously fashioned vision which broke out of the expectations prompted through the extensive development of Drudkh over the years. Then again that’d seemingly changed as ‘The Onlooker‘ (2019) released without any of the slow-burning indecision found on the previous two releases. A follow-up album rife with well built emotionally driven movements suggested it’d been thoroughly composed by comparison with past work. That album should more-or-less serve as a third chapter in their evolution while potentially considering this latest mLP an interstitial, or, possible fourth phase in their ongoing evolution.

‘Der eine, wahre König‘ begins its attack with an unexpected level of haste, jetting through its blustering and chiming movements from its first second, expanding upon the dramatic melodic language which’d never found its true signature or settlement within Windswept‘s first two LPs. At a glance we’ve got two things to take stock of up front per the German album title (“The one true king”) and the already recognizable vocal on “Verbrannte Brücken” by way of Winterherr of Paysage D’ Hiver who I believe sings on the first two of four songs whereas Alexander von Meilenwald of The Ruins of Beverast lends vocals to the second half of the album though there may be points where they share duties. There is turmoil and malice in the air as that first song’s icy push reaches its highest point of racing-fast atmospheric pressure, an obscured but resonance rip through rhythm guitar techniques which become the focal point of the majority of the song. While that opener says a lot about this album in direction comparison to what ‘The Onlooker‘ had brought it isn’t until we reach for the outward stretched catchiness of “Die Bürde der Erinnerungen” that the sensation of outright catchy alt-rock inspired hooks meets up with their blizzard-paced whorl. This’d serve as a favored piece and a strong argument for repeated listens to start as this new version of Windswept begins to reveal itself.

There is some unavoidable sense of emergence, exit from the storm as we step into the second half and if only because Winterherr‘s vocals tend to be buried in the midst whereas Meilenwald‘s style has become far more extroverted in its expression over the last decade plus. We know it is him from the moment the backing vocals thrum during the main verses of “Drangsal”, a piece which races through its subtly shimmering guitar layers at a similar flurry to that of the opener. It isn’t exactly a recreation of ‘Unlock the Shrine‘ but it is third in a string of pieces which highlight the emotive depth of Saenko‘s increasingly layered rhythm guitar style. The closing dirge and the lengthiest (~10.5 minutes) song on the album, “Jedes Todes Lohn” features an almost indie rock level bassline strumming beneath its first three or so minutes, eventually retreating into its main rhythmic verve as the focal point of the song shifts to choral vocal melodies (something like pagan metal chants) from Meilenwald. One of my favorite moments on the album comes right at the end signaling the final push of this closing piece as the riff change around ~7:29 minutes into the song feels like a very classic 90’s melodic black/death metal transition but also a natural extension of the riff developed within the span of the song. A final bit of detail added to what is an otherwise easily approached, fairly melodic atmospheric black metal record.

Though there is a level of morbid worship implied upon introduction to ‘Der eine, wahre König‘ and the two vocalists bring their own forms of wrath to each half of the mLP there is yet some deep sentimental curvature to Windswept‘s rhythms wherein some of it reads as expected stock and other moments are brilliant if not obfuscated for one reason or another. As such most folks should be able to walk right into the midst of this album and easily take it on as a somewhat over the top application of atmospheric/post-black songwriting. For my own taste it is the sort of record which feels great in the midst of its motion yet yields fleeting rewards the further time passes between listens. The handful of peaking moments that render this record memorable, repeatable did ultimately stick with me but moreso in the sense that I greatly prefer this direction and sound than most all of their previous releases. A moderately high recommendation.

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