Winterstrain
Shifting Sands Independent

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

Comments: Existential Arctic Prog. Yes, that is exactly what you’ll get from the gents in WinterStrain, who hail from Norway. Their new CD, Shifting Sands, is their sophomore effort, a follow-up to A Return to the Mirror. Not only are their songs introspective, but so are their production efforts. If you head to their Web site (www.winterstrain.com), they talk about the production of Metal music today in these terms: “All the sounds are equally loud. There are no dynamics left. No life. It hits you square in the face, yet it’s dead. It doesn’t breathe.” They not only nail this on the head in definitive terms, but they put it to the test and release a CD where the music is flowing, it brings out the strength of the instruments … and it’s “warm,” quite a coup for an Arctic Prog band.

Tony Mills (Shy, Siam, China Blue, TNT, etc.) lends his vocals to the mix as well, adding a bit of regality to the background vocals on the entire disc.

The first journey to the center of the mind is “Gone,” the opening track. In a few ways, WinterStrain’s current sound is reminiscent of Empire-era Queensryche, because of the musicianship and also because of lead singer Geir-Helge Fredheim’s vocals. It’s not a stretch to compare his style to Geoff Tate, although he doesn’t quite have the range, he sings with a solid, throaty tenor that has no problems stretching to an upper register. As you’ll hear quite often, due to the production style, Arnulf Ovre’s guitar solos and Karl Birkely keyboards overlap and flow into each other. Ovre’s guitar tone is extremely rich, making his notes oftentimes mirror the keys. This is where the Progressive elements arise the most, the interplay between keys and guitar. The song itself delivers a sense of longing, especially as the first words are, “I can’t see my house from here …” Lyrically, the song touches on the mindset of “You can never come home again.”

WinterStrain takes poetic license on “Inner Voice” by repeatedly using the word “unconfident,” another analytical song about learning from your past and your mistakes, because it makes you who you are today. This track is another upbeat song, not quite Heavy Metal but harder than just Hard Rock. Try these lyrics on for size: “I am the core of your being, the one before the dawn. The one they taught you to hate … now you can’t be alone.” Good stuff …

Corporate society (like, say, America in general) gets taken to task on the song “Company.” Looking at America’s economy today, WinterStrain certainly has a good reason for doing so. On the CD liner notes, each song offers an explanation of the track, and this is the best by far: “When the parasite kills the host it is dependent upon the existence of … it’s madness.” Told-you-so’s aside, the song features a wicked solo from Ovre, and some of the best vocals on the entire CD. Agree or disagree with the topic, the song rips.

“In the Arms of the Night” will remind of Queensryche once again, as Fredheim opens the song with a high, soaring vocal. This track chugs along with a triumphant gallop, nearing Power Metal land, and the chorus is by far the best on the entire CD. When Fredheim sings, “Do you know what they do? They look just like me and you …” the whole chorus channels Kiske-era Helloween, another singer Fredheim will remind you of. There is a reason it hearkens back to the ‘90s; it was originally performed 15 years ago in a slightly different form. “In the Arms of the Night” is arguably the best song on the release.

The eight-minute opus, “Memory Beneath the Sea,” closes the CD. The musical effects are cold, seemingly a mirror to your feelings when swimming in a frozen, bottomless ocean. There’s a reason why they call themselves Arctic Prog. Once the intro fades and the song coalesces, keyboards take the lead with a fluid, melodic passage, giving way to a guitar lead. If you want to be confused, the song is about “a complicated, weird and intangible sensation of ultimate gain, yet loss.” If you really wanted to compare WinterStrain to another band who somehow found a unique yet accessible sound, it’d be Keldian. It’s hard to be original without sounding original, but WinterStrain figures it out on Shifting Sands.

WinterStrain does a myriad of things right on Shifting Sands, chief among them painting a picture of how their music should sound and translating that on CD. Regardless of the fact they sound like a number of other bands, no one sounds like WinterStrain. While some of the songs lose their appeal after a few listens, songs like “In the Arms of the Night” get better each time you hear them. If they keep improving, everyone should be interested in what WinterStrain does next.

www.winterstrain.com

Track Listing:
1.Gone
2.Inner Voice
3.Company
4.Confidence
5.In the Arms of the Night
6.Negotiation
7.Gathering Day
8.Memory Beneath the Sea

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.9/10