Paysage D'Hiver: Die Festung LP

It’s a common saying that music takes you somewhere else. Dungeon Synth and Black Metal are no exception when it comes to music's ability to transport the listener from its current surroundings. Misty forests, murky cellars, mighty mountains, star-filled skies and restless seasides; we’ve all been there from time to time. Sometimes it’s because of a certain song. Sometimes it’s because of a specific melody. Very rarely it’s because of the richness and unified character of an entire discography.

It’s been over a decade since I first set foot in Paysage’s marvellous universe, solely created by the hands and through the mind of Wintherr. I’ve spent countless hours immersing myself in his frost-covered landscapes, fiercely trying to make my way through the snow; vastly inspired and impressed by its glimmer and mystique.

Where most of Paysage’s material consists of icy black metal, unhinged and unchained, Die Festung feels like the distillation of a spirit that’s present throughout the projects entire oeuvre. Calm and grandiose it lingers, both in the deep and complex sound of the album’s 15-minute opener 'Eishalle' and its more minimalistic followers. It is this dichotomy that made some refer to Die Festung as being anticlimactic - and yes, there is no typical crescendo waiting for us towards the end. There is, indeed, no spine-trilling build-up or massive, euforic closure. Instead, 'Eisenhalle' effectively draws you in, to eventually make space for the record's more humble half. It’s as if you’re being pushed, aggressively, into the unknown, only to find yourself in an utmost serene surrounding.

Die Festung delivers climax through serenity.