Metal Underground.com

This is the second split release between German avant garde black metallers Vinterriket and dark ambient Norwegians Northaunt. Consisting of four tracks by the German one-piece (every odd number) and 3 by the Norse, this is a very well thought out split CD, as both bands perfectly complement each other. Using mainly keyboards, very few spoken vocals and various nature sounds they deliver a 62-minute journey of bleak despair. With the very first notes you're submerged into an absorbing and asphyxiating melancholy. Imagine a vast, desolate field and its enchanting but cold beauty - this is the prevailing feeling of the album.

Vinterriket create a feeling that most atmospheric black metal bands only dream of. But don't be fooled by me using "black metal"- you won't find any screeching here, in fact vocals are absent from all 4 Vinterriket compositons. In no means does this create a monotonous or boring material though. The first track, "Landschafen Ewiger Einsamkeit IX" offers a dark but soothing visual of falling rain. "Am Brennenden Nordlichen Firmament" is embellished with more creative keyboard sounds (like piano and organs), very melodic in contrast with the rest of the album. Northaunt's track "Shadows Over The Barren Land" stands out - unlike the other songs, it has some vocals in the background… of a woman whose sobbing is gradually stifled by a man's menacing screams. "Ode" is the most minimalist compositon on the album but still eerie as hell. Overall, this split is very slow and contians moving passages that engulf your soul in dark feelings. Words of praise go out to the artwork too, it definitely contributes to the gloomy feeling of this release.