EP REVIEW: Stormscapes – Nuclear Winter

NUCLEAR WINTER is the one-man project by Zimbabwean Gary Stautmeister. Started in 2013, the death metal group have released one EP and two albums so far. They now return with a second EP entitled Stormscapes. Will this EP be their breakout hit?

The first song, Hearts of Stone, is a strong opener. The frantic guitars and drums instantly capture the listener’s attention. Despite at first sounding like a SLIPKNOT song due to the industrial-esque components, all comparisons stop when the vocals kick in as the deep guttural voice is the strongest aspect of the song, thanks to the smooth production. It is a very strong start from NUCLEAR WINTER.

The Wide Water continues this streak of strong starts. This time, the clean vocals get a chance to shine, however, the unclean vocals are still there in the background. As the mid-way point on the EP, the song shows that NUCLEAR WINTER show that they have the talent and skill to mix a variety of styles into one concise and well-layered song.

On the other hand, the third song, The Northern Winds is a pure death metal assault. The frantic guitars give off the impression of a cold and dark winter day and the combination of unclean and clean vocals is simply stunning. Unfortunately, the song abruptly ends, leaving a bitter and anti-climactic finish. This is a shame because it affects the pacing of the song. The final song on the EP is a cover of the classic New York, New York. The death metal-leaning instrumentation and opera like vocals should not work, but thanks to the stellar production job, it does.

Stormscapes is a riveting EP. Despite the abrupt end of The Northern Winds, the strong consistency of the tone and pacing win out. Listeners would be mistaken that this EP was recorded by a whole band instead of just one person. This further emphasises the talent that Gary Stautmeister has. This is a very powerful release and indicates a bright future for NUCLEAR WINTER.

Rating: 8/10

Stormscapes is set for release on July 15th via MMD Records.

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