Kalt Vindur – Magna Mater
Release Date: 26th January 2024
Label: The Circle Music
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Progressive Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Subcarpathian Black Metal.
FFO: Behemoth, Varmia, Deathspell Omega, Marduk, Drudkh.
Review By: Rick Farley
Established in the spring of 2015 in Dukla, Poland, Kalt Vindur return for album number three Magna Mater, released January 26th, 2024, on The Circle Music. Starting out more on the progressive black metal side of things, album number one Delusions, clearly shows a band versed on quality songwriting and creating genuine haunting atmosphere. Album number two …and Nothing is Endless upped the aggression and melody with a regional touch that is known by the band as a unique representation of Subcarpathian black metal. Now 2024’s Magna Mater sees the band evolve even further, with their most mature, coherent, and complete release to date.
Track three, Agonizing Luminosity, stands as a personal favourite for me. It is brutally angry, has great melody, and engaging passages that take you a little further out of the realm of black metal in such a way that feels completely organic and tribalistic. Relentless pounding double bass intertwined with crystalline twangy guitar parts and strained, coarse growls sound utterly disgusting in the best possible way. Another stunning example of divergent songwriting is Bless Us starts off with a beautiful sounding choir, which leads our unsuspecting ears into a wispy distorted guitar passage over warm bass and a hooky drumbeat. The song bursts airy into tremolo picked guitar violence quickly not allowing you to fully feel the groove for long, however the riff appears often enough in different segments throughout the song bringing incredible crushing, darkened soundscapes to the aggressiveness of the second wave inspired black metal. Topped off by a wickedly menacing guitar solo, this track will easily be one of your favourites as well. Visions of Purification storms into the extreme darkness of twisting riffs, brutal blasting and shrieky vocals. A thick surging bassline breaks up the pace temporarily before returning to the jarring intensity. The tracks midsection keeps the fast pace, but the melodies shift into more of a yearning hopefulness that is melancholic yet sanguine. Followed by a beautiful acoustic passage full of self-reflection, these are the things that separate Kalt Vindur from most other bands in the genre. The progressive elements are there but not in the usual sense of the word, there is no excessive noodling and weird tempo changes or crazy technical parts. Everything sounds like it belongs in the song and only enhances the already incredible songwriting.
Beautiful melodies, haunting and sorrowful, transcend into blistering, pure black metal violence. Hellish shrieks and growls over hammering riffs that go from snakelike airy movement to crushing heaviness. Full of head-bangable hooks, prominent basslines that drive tracks into new realms, redefines what is acceptable within this glorious genre. Acoustic folky passages, slight symphonic elements, flame tinged guitar solos all combine with the overall frostbitten atmosphere of unapologetic multidimensional black metal that truly feels alive and well.
Magna Mater is surely going to stick with me for a while. It is a triumphant piece of music that will push the envelope just enough to further the genre positively. Black metal already has grown into a diverse beast these days, however bands like Kalt Vindur do it so well and naturally that you do not even realize it is evolving. Without a doubt, this is highly recommended for anyone ready for divergent structure with their vicious black metal. 
(4.5 / 5)
