ALBUM REVIEW: Winterreise – Lethvm
Just when you think you’ve heard it all. It’s so hard to innovate in the modern musical landscape where everyone is looking to diversify, often drawing the same conclusions and creating a barrage of samey records that get lost in the sheer volume of content. No section of the music industry is immune to this, and in some ways it makes it all the more fulfilling when a band comes along that makes the ears prick up and the hairs stand up on the back of the neck. Enter LETHVM who have just released an album that’s completely feral and absolutely determined to invoke genre-blind catharsis, achieving this feat impeccably.
Winterreise is the title, immediately conjuring imagery of a cold, arid landscape synonymous with the music on display. This album is bleak, refusing to relinquish its grip on the winter from which spring has grabbed the reins. Skillfully whisking together elements of post-hardcore, doom, black metal and the kitchen sink, the six tracks on display traverse hostile terrain that oozes melancholy and angst. Right from the off, devastated screams rip through the opening track Blank, quickly accompanied by battering drums before settling into doom metal moodiness. The bass swings low and purposefully, and then towering riffs crack through the mix like thunderous applause.
Pretence offers our first real taste of the album’s staggering juxtaposition, beginning with the kind of delicacy only the best post-rock bands possess. Suddenly everything is achingly beautiful; the vocals are now soothing and the guitars weep. Of course this is short-lived, and the track concludes in utter hostility. It borders on frightening at times, as shrieks unfurl akin to depressive black metal. Into Torrents then, another harrowing track that grows in stature until our skulls are well and truly pummelled. The problem is, there are still three tracks to go, and the album does not relent.
The mood in Carved is equally as disturbed as its predecessors; bold, heavy and memorable, ticking all the boxes for a good old-fashioned headbang while managing all the while to be seriously impressive. More black metal influence ups the cathartic ante, before a mid-track lull leads into an emphatic CULT OF LUNA-esque outro (with the addition of deranged vocals of course). Mournful and Night conclude the album, perhaps with a modicum less energy, but LETHVM can be forgiven for running out of steam slightly given that our ears are still ringing from the opening 23 minutes.
As a whole, Winterreise is a valiant attempt to rock the boat and push the boundaries of what modern music can offer. Oddly, in its diversity it feels almost familiar. Perhaps it’s the way the band have carved up so many different genres and overlaid them so well. The influences are there but they aren’t too apparent, they’re restrained enough to make this record feel unique and for the most part the execution is pretty fantastic. In some ways this is one of the most creative albums you’ll hear in 2023, but it does lack a little energy in the final third. Perhaps this is by design, but maybe the album justified a slightly more grandiose conclusion. Either way, LETHVM have given us an album that leaves us feeling fulfilled, ears bleeding and seriously impressed.
Rating: 8/10
Winterreise is out now via Dunk! Records.
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