WINTERFYLLETH Back to their Black Metal Roots
B
INTERVIEW WITH SINGER / GUITARIST CHRIS NAUGHTON BY ADDISON HERRON-WHEELER
lack metal heavyweights Winterfylleth are back, and once again making crushing, melodic black metal instead of the pagan folk they made on their last record. And they’re excited to be back in the bowels of the metal beast.
Their new record, The Reckoning Dawn, goes back to the roots of their black metal, borrowing heavily from pagan and folk, but not completely leaning into them. While the band loved the experience of making a purely folk album, writing metal definitely feels more natural.
26 NEW NOISE
“The acoustic album was definitely something that we'd always wanted to do,� guitarist and vocalist Chris Naughton explains. “We've always done acoustic interludes on the albums, so I didn't think it was out of the realms of possibility that we could do an album like that, and it'd be good and credible, and have the atmosphere of the other albums. But because it was such a different headspace, because we had to write for instruments that we can't play, like violin or cello, it was a real trial by fire. I think we definitely learned a lot about ourselves as musicians with that album.�
Coming back from the journey Studios in Wales. In addition to that led to their folk masterpiece, tapping into some of the heavier The Hallowing of Heirdom, to cre- elements the band have honed, ate another metal album, they the album deals with even more used the lessons they learned modern, topical themes. to incorporate new melodies and styles into the heavier re- “We all live in this kind of cracord. Despite lineup chang- zy, hectic world that's going on es, the band has always had a around us, and lots of things signature sound and consistent have happened over the last themes about the pagan days of few years that have really the U.K. This record looks at an- been kind of game-changing,â€? cient poems, writings, and histo- says Naughton. “There have ry, and compares them to things been lots of culture wars going happening in the modern world. on. There are various different kinds of agendas, and I think The Reckoning Dawn was re- that it’s interesting to see how corded and produced by the these modern struggles reflect legendary Chris Fielding (Pri- in the past. We just keep movmordial, Napalm Death, Conan, ing forward and making the Electric Wizard, Fen) at Foel same mistakes.â€? đ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Łđ&#x;’Ł
