L’Hiver En Deuil (means something like winter in bereavement) are a Belgian act with members from e.g. Marche Funèbre, Sarin and The Gates Of Argonath. They started four years ago and Ter Aarde, this first ‘real’ studio recording (lasting for thirty four minutes), was conceived with assistance of Enthroned-member Phorgath, who did some productional work for bands like Cult Of Erinyes, Aguynguerran, Possession, Necrowretch etc. before.
Ter Aarde stands for a melodic, somewhat melancholic and introspective form of obscure Music, combining elements from Doom-Death and Black Metal, but the typifying Lowlands-way. The riffs are rather repetitive and therefor slightly hypnotic, while the rhythm section is forceful, power-driven and heavily supportive. It gets injected by many changes in tempo and structure (again not that unusual for a Belgian band), with the addition of (semi) acoustic passages and some grandiose, bone-chilling leads, and with a vocal range that varies a lot as well: from screams and grunts to spoken words and whispers, and everything in between. The atmosphere too dwells in between the extremes of sombre integrity and expulsive anger.
L’Hiver En Deuil created an album that needs a couple of tries. But it is worth experiencing a couple of times, for the result gets better and better. It’s a characteristic Belgian interpretation of Scandinavian-influenced Black Metal (especially the atmosphere / sound production exhales that Nordic spirit).