The Howling Wind - Into the Cryosphere

Into the Cryosphere is an incredible frosty black/doom mixture by two-piece Ryan Lipynsky (Thralldom, Unearthly Trance) and Tim Call (Aldebaran, Hail) under
the moniker The Howling Wind (Profound Lore, vinyl via Parasitic Records). Yes, I do realize this is over a year old but I don't care, I just got it and listened to it and was slightly shocked by the minuscule amount of "fans" on their Facebook page so a review is needed, plus it's awesome and I wanted to use the word "frosty" because they're delicious.

The Howling Wind come out with a vengeance on this album with blistering black metal riffs and painstakingly slow, doomed to drag out notes. The vocals are immensely intriguing and captivating. The Seething Wrath of a Frigid Soul, seems to be the perfect title for the opening track as it mock-speeds through finger-bleeding riffs and power only to stop like a brick wall upon entering Teeth of Frost. Teeth of Frost slams down some finely crafted infecting doom. Lipynsky's vocals crack and burn through to the core of the music. This track is full of interesting changes of pace and approach that make me beg for it to never end.

Obscured Pyramid starts in with a gloomy atmosphere and delightfully cold feel. The riffs are groovy yet harsh and unrelenting. There is a serious energy to this album even in it's more doom-laden areas. Surprisingly, the production on this album is incredibly crisp and clear but still fuzzy enough to not sound like some over-polished turd bobbing around your toilet bowl that you pulled out and shoved in a rock tumbler to smooth out the lumps. ("check it for splits")

I was going to do track by track but fuck that, go buy the damn album yourself and listen to it. I think you get the idea. The Howling Wind is two bad ass dudes with talent for making things cold and unfriendly yet appealing.

Facebook
Bandcamp
Profound Lore Records
Parasitic Records