Winterstrain, our slightly peculiar Norwegian friends are not so much a band as they are an art collective. Many musicminded souls are working in front of & behind the screens to bring us the message these Arctic fellows want us to get & treasure. Look at that nothing short of magnificent cover, for example. Made by the guitar player’s older brother, an artist true to the bone. The picture grabs you forcefully by the throat but doesn’t forget to be subtle & elegant at the same time. If it was female I’d marry it.
Tony Mills, the gentleman of the banshee wail, was once more found willing and able to lend a tonsil or two in the vocal department. Again without taking up all the spotlight but leaving enough space for the rest.
Which brings us nicely to the word ‘space’, not in the where-no-man-has-gone-before meaning but more in the sense of breathing space, room or even liberty & freedom. The freedom to do what you want without taking the liberty of the others around you. And that’s exactly how this band sounds, all instruments have room to breathe, they forcibly grab your attention when needed but ask gentlemanly first only to then swipe you of your feet with dazzling craftsmanship.
And the songs? Well, 8 songs, 51 minutes of music, enough to send any progrock fan to the nearest box of Kleenex to wipe the saliva of his or her ecstatic face.
Like on previous release "Return To The Mirror", Winterstrain uses the progrock mould with shades & pieces of pure melodic rock to build their songs. And again the songs, melodies, solos & singing are brought in a very natural, intelligent & passionate manner. Who needs more? Certainly not me.
So what have we learned today, class? When we think Winterstrain we make associations with ‘space’, ‘passion’, ‘nature’ & a healthy dose of madness. Get yourself some… (KVK)
 

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HIBA (on 3/02/09) re-reading the reviews I got to admit that I'm royally late with my purchase, but better late than never. And never would've been a shame, boy this is a great progress compared to RTTM, I thought the reviews were to kind but I admit a lot of it is more then true. I only listened to the album once, and I bet I'm gonna discover more when I listen to it the second and 3rd ... and so on. 6 stars for the artwork - the rest is for the music. Now we know what progress means !   YNGWIEVIKING (on 10/11/08) What i can say , it's this album deserve to be listened carefully because the songs are very well crafted ! I absolutely love the Guitar playing !!! very interesting player ! But for me the lowest point is the vocal parts and i think it's the biggest challenge for the third album ! If the progression between the first it's the same for the third, then we can hope for something really outstanding !   Steel Jockey (on 4/11/08) wow so much over the top praise for an average cd. I haven't heard it all but I've heard samples from myspace and it doesn't sound great at all. Average melodic metal with average vocals.   gtsak (on 29/10/08) Unfortunately I never had the chance to listen to Winterstrain until now, so I can' compare it to previous efforts of the band. So my first contact with them is a positive one. I can't say I am thrilled, but I am very satisfied and more than anything else I have listened to something I can easily approach. It's not too mellow, as I feared it would be. It's a good sample of mature and somber progressive rock/metal. Arctic Prog? Yes, why not, though I do not like labels with a geographical/cultural orientation. But it's representative for two reasons. First you can identify that the band is a Northern one and secondly there is some coldness throughout the entire album (you can take it as you like, negative or positive). I was disappointed with the starting track "Gone" and to my belief it's the weakest track of the album. But "Inner Voice", "In the Arms..." and "Negotiation"... wow these are great tracks indeed. I think it's a balanced album and though I have stated my preferences, I think most of the songs are equal (I still exclude "Gone"). Nice musicianship, not too striking in every instrument. I liked very much the guitar solos, right where they had to be, long as they should be and pleasant as I would like to be. What I didn't like very much is the production. Somehow I feel that the vocals are a bit blurred and it's a pity, because Mr. Fredheim has a beautiful voice. I guess that progressive metal fans will be rewarded if they purchase it. I think that those who like prog rock/neo prog/queensryche-like prog/royal hunt will rejoice.   TomSawYa (on 27/10/08) Shifting sands of time, well they could have called the album Shifting gears as well ... what an evolution without making Rttm anything smaller, if prog stands for progress this album is proof enough for it. All the ingredients that make WinterStrain so special they are here again, the soulful lyrics, their own style of making guitar solos songdriving, interesting and heartwarming at the same time, the keys that suddenly change in the first row with the same enthusiasm as they step back again to let the song evolve, same for the bass lines that cling together with an extraordinary drumming (hell, I wouldn't want to play along "company" !) as a mighty basis for the singer's ambitious and stunning range from his charming lows to dizzy heights. It's become again one of those albums, where all my needs for good rock music are satisfied within a variety of songs like a variety of colours you need to paint a beautiful picture. I'd choose green for "Gone", fresh and hopeful for the rest of the album, a wonderful opener, light blue for "inner voice", a charming chorus that lifts you up to AORheaven, gold for "company" which is for the sparkling of all colours together, my best-of-winterstrain-in-one-song (so far) a true arctic prog thing, brown for "confidence" a most warming ballad like a view into lovely brown eyes of a woman, red for "in the arms of the night", sheer power and heartbeating headbanging class rock, violet for "negotiation" as a tale of mystery and imagination, a warning-light-orange for "gathering day" as the frightening part of a story that slowly unfolds to driving rhythms and finally darkblue for "memory beneath the sea", the musical picture of the everlasting what-would-have-been-if-question between an arising and drowning of the keyboards. I love the cover, and the inside comments, which is after all also important for a booklet fetishist like me ! And ... you feel, that the whole thing comes from the heart ! Half a star less than 6 as incentive for number three ! Thank you for the music !!!   TonyM (on 27/10/08) Well, finally I get to hear this album. But I guess I shouldn't complain, from fifteen years to eighteen months is quite an achievement ! I was apprehensive to say the least, after RTTM, which was a fine piece of work, in anyone's book. 'Sail' has to be one of the greatest prog tracks ever, and this is coming from an avid Rush fan; those are compliments that are difficult to give away without getting paid for them ! I guess I have listened to RTTM for far too long, and expecting it to be bettered is like the anguish of lying to your best friend, for whatever reason. However, working on this record in its infant form, left me concerned that the album had been written too quickly after its predecessor and I was sure it couldn't live up to that. I'm just sat listening through it for the fourth time and I already know I am going to have to put it on again. Ok, now it's the fifth time. There is some stunning musicianship on this record, and I take nothing away from the Geir Helge either. He has a voice with a lot of character in it, that's undeniable. He sounds quirky, sometimes, but I like that, you couldn't copy it, if you tried. He really stamps his personality on the tracks. Sometimes it's as if the guitarist, Arnulf, is in competition with the keys guy, Karl, but after that tension passes, the resolve in the songs is like a sedative. High points ? Definitely, 'Inner Voice' and 'Company' for me. 'Memory Beneath The Sea' is such a heartlifting song as well. There have to be low points to gauge against high points otherwise preference would go out of the window, but anyway they are my preferences. I think the album starts out with the right tension with 'Gone', but 'Inner Voice' seems such a stronger track. Anyway, there is still that definitive Norwegian prowess to the record, almost a peculiarity that gives it away as a Norwegian band, even if you didn't know it. There's definitely something in the blood there, I think. Mr. Nyland has an unsinkable quality as a musician and I cant say that about many drummers I know, a tenacious individual that has remarkable patience and a fine ear for music as well. I'm glad I worked on the Winterstrain projects, I'm very proud of my involvement with these people. These are timeless records and seem to me, have earned their place in music history for everyones enjoyment. But will the next album take fiteen years, or eighteen months ? I wonder...... Oh, hear comes 'Inner Voice' again, I have to go crank it up. TonyM   cradle1scot (on 24/10/08) FUCKIN HELL :o) I never thought it would top RTTM. But it has ! Production is top notch. Quality even better and the collection of songs are perfect. Gone is such a good song to start the album. You can't not like it. it charms you in and gets your attention. Company is the most technical song. It has so many changes. Awesome guitar and keyboard exchanges. Each rising to the challenge. Confidence is the best vocal performance from Geir Helge. The improvement on SS from RTTM is very evident. A warmer vocal performance all round. But in Confidence GH gets top marks from me. Wonderful song. So full of heart and soul. You can paint a picture with the vocal performance. My personal fave is Negotiation. It's the kind of song you want to march into War playing. Exudes confidence (not the song) and beats along making the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention. WinterStrain would not be so without an epic and Memory Beneath The Sea ends the album is such song. You just can't not sing along to this or most of the songs on the album. I love the quiet way Lars goes about his bass playing. Sitting back letting everyone get on with it while he steadily holds ship.The guys have matured so much since RTTM. No more so than the song writing of Mr Deenfan. He is a star and one hell of a drummer. One question for the band...how the hell are you going to top this album ? !   darkblue (on 21/10/08) If you want an album that somehow manages to both challenge and charm, or indeed you wish to lose yourself in indulgent yet channelled musicianship then look no further than Shifting Sands. The knack of using your influences without copying is a tough nut to crack, however whilst most songs on the album are from the prog metal school, by introducing more melody, and the odd symphonic reference Winterstrain manage to sound both familiar, and original at the same time. The standard of musicianship right across all the tracks is jaw dropping at times, however at no point does it become showmanship at expense of the song, and the ability to weave some really complicated passages into memorable, hummable songs is an art in itself. There are genuinely no poor tracks amongst the 8 on show, however Gathering Day shines through as my personal favourite. From the atmospheric intro through some great keyboard/guitar flurries, and some great drum fills, to the vocals everything comes together beautifully. The highlight of the track for me is the complex backing vocals and arrangements that offer something new with every listen. In a year when the standard of music released seems to have gone up a notch or two Winterstrain have not just risen to the challenge, they've surpassed it. Truly great stuff!!!!!!!

 

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