Winterfylleth, the UK’s well-regarded atmospheric black metal band, recently released their newest album, The Imperious Horizon. The Manchester, UK-based group, known for weaving historical and nature-inspired themes into their music, spent much of 2023 crafting their latest work, which saw the light of day earlier this year with live performances alongside black metal giants Emperor in the UK and Ireland.
READ OUR REVIEW OF The Imperious Horizon
The band’s return to the live scene also included appearances at high-profile European festivals, like Inferno in Norway and Ragnarök in Germany. After a pandemic-induced hiatus, Winterfylleth returned to the studio with longtime producer Chris Fielding to put together The Imperious Horizon. The new record features guest vocals from Primordial’s Alan Averill on the track “In Silent Grace,” adding a fresh element to Winterfylleth’s established sound. The album also offers a nod to black metal history with a cover of Emperor’s “The Majesty of the Night Sky” as a bonus track.
Montreal Rocks caught up with Winterfylleth’s vocalist/guitarist, Chris Naughton to find out more about their latest album, how they create the songs and the music that’s excited him recently.
Montreal Rocks: “The Imperious Horizon” marks another chapter in your journey. How did the writing and recording process for this album differ from previous albums, particularly after such a challenging time with COVID and lockdowns?
Chris Naughton: In terms of the writing process, I think it was quite natural in the sense that we had five guys writing this album, and everyone was contributing ideas to the mix. As a result, there have been some interesting new perspectives and directions on the album. The only hindrance that the COVID years posed to us was that it delayed us touring and promoting the last album, so we were keen to do that before embarking on a new one. I guess that’s why it’s been a little longer than usual between our albums.
In terms of the sonics on the newest album, I think it’s clear that we always like to try and keep a sense of this being a Winterfylleth album, so there is a certain sound and tone that comes along with that. But, we were also keen to let a few new influences into the mix this time, particularly around things like keyboard, song length, and lead guitar influences.
Having Russell (Dobson) come into the band on lead guitar has been a great addition for us in recent years. From his first appearance at the Bloodstock festival with us just after the lockdown period in 2021, he has injected a great and renewed sense of energy into the band. In terms of his contributions to the writing process, it’s been great. He thinks about riffs in a different way compared to Nick or me – and comes from maybe a different school of thinking in terms of chord progressions, etc. His contributions to this record have been many, and he has been just as collaborative a writing member as anyone else in the band. I think he may be responsible for a few of the more “frostier” sounding riffs you can hear on this album.
Montreal Rocks: How do you get to a song? What’s your process?
Chris Naughton: I’ve always been a big believer in not trying to be too contrived when it comes to writing music, and I like to just let things emerge naturally. Sometimes it’s great to have a galvanizing framework or concept to fit an album or a song into, but the music still needs to be passionate, emotive, and atmospheric as well. So, it is also a good idea to follow your natural instincts for the music you are predisposed to make. That’s always been a real mantra of mine, not to just release something for the sake of having a new album out. Outside of that, I think we do things in a fairly traditional way in terms of the songwriting: come up with some ideas, bring them to the group, and then try to get everyone’s inputs on how to shape those ideas into emotive, moving, and meaningful tracks that have purpose on an album.
Montreal Rocks: You’ve described Winterfylleth as “English Heritage Black Metal.” How does this concept manifest in “The Imperious Horizon,” and what aspects of English history or mythology most influenced this record?
Chris Naughton: The title itself is about the idea of there being some kind of sneering, arrogant, and calculated agenda bubbling away beyond the horizon, shrouded in mist, aimed at the detriment of humanity and its personal freedoms. The lyrics and concept are somewhat of a rumination on the state of the world and of this idea that we, as people, are often treated like pawns in a global game of profit and loss; rather than as sovereign beings in control of their own destiny. The lyrical concepts try to address some of that in as stylish and befitting a way as possible within the context of visceral and sweeping black metal music.
I feel like there is a sense among people (and certainly within my own mentality) that “something” big, or impactful, is coming. There is a looming dread on the collective consciousness that feels palpable in many parts of the world. It certainly doesn’t feel like we are heading towards a freer future unless we take more control of it as people. It can feel quite bleak if you consider the wider social landscape we could find ourselves living in. All of these kinds of topics play on many of our minds, and we have tried to tackle some of them in the songs we have made on this album.
Around that, I have used adapted poems from various aspects of our literary history, such as “The Kings Death” by Alexander Frome written in 1648, which inspired the track “Dishonour Enthroned.” Or a track like “Upon This Shore,” which has references and excerpts of poetry from Book VI by Edmund Spenser, written in 1590. The idea is to take some of these works of classic, pastoral literature and frame them in some of the difficulties and challenges we face in the modern world.
Montreal Rocks: How do you choose which tracks to release as singles, and what do you hope fans take away from each of these releases?
Chris Naughton: It can be a challenge, but – from my perspective – you want to try and pick tracks that highlight (1) the general aesthetic and direction of the album in the best way, or (2) tracks that feature a few of the newer twists and turns that are present in the album flow, and (3) perhaps some of the loftier moments of the songwriting to show people that this whole album is worth their time. I guess you want to try and draw people into what you are doing in this era, to then check out the whole album and go on that journey you’ve created with it.
Montreal Rocks: Working again with Chris Fielding as a producer seems to have become a cornerstone for Winterfylleth’s sound. What makes him the ideal collaborator for the band, and what did he bring to this album that was unique?
Chris Naughton: We started writing “The Imperious Horizon” properly after returning home from a two-week tour of Europe with Gaahl’s Wyrd at the end of 2022. When we felt the material was refined and completed, in the autumn of 2023 we ventured into the remote hills of mid-Wales to Foel Studios, a place where we have recorded many times in the past, to track the record with our long-time producer and collaborator Chris Fielding.
As ever, it’s always great to work with Chris Fielding, and he’s as much a close friend to the band now as he is our producer – our relationship has clearly been a longstanding one. The mixing process wasn’t without its challenges this time – mainly due to the more expanded sonic tapestry we had on this album, with a greater keyboard presence throughout. This meant greater challenges in terms of balancing the warring elements to the desired effect. When you have walls of distorted guitars, blasting drums, screamed vocals, and then an additional layer of keys all fighting for space – it becomes a more difficult task to balance. However, I feel we got there in the end, and Chris’s relentless patience and technical skill (as well as a deep understanding of what we are seeking to achieve with the WF albums) helped us to get to a fantastic place with this one.
Montreal Rocks: Alan Averill’s guest vocals on “In Silent Grace” add an epic dimension to the track. Can you talk about the collaboration with him and how his contribution shaped the song?
Chris Naughton: It is widely known that Primordial have been a really important band for many of us within Winterfylleth (and also to many within the wider Black/Pagan Metal scene) for many years. If we consider highlights in Primordial’s discography (that everyone might share as a frame of reference), then Alan’s performances on tracks like “The Coffin Ships,” “Empire Falls,” or “As Rome Burns” convey such a palpable sense of emotion, passion, and raw feeling within them, that they are unlike anything else. Hearing a song like “The Coffin Ships” live in Dublin, you can almost feel the pain of the Irish people in that song, and what they went through during the famine. In doing so, the band, and Alan, have cemented themselves as important storytellers and creators of emotional and meaningful music within the world. A band who draws people into what they are talking about, and who have been able to maintain that attention for 30+ years.
Outside of the band’s impact on the scene, we have been friends with Alan and the other guys for a long while now. We’ve played many shows and tours together over the years, and even performed with many of the band’s associated side-projects, like Dread Sovereign, who joined us on our previous album tour. So, in many ways, our history was already there for when we were thinking about collaborating on the track “In Silent Grace.”
The track itself began life during the writing session of our previous album “The Reckoning Dawn,” but was never completed at the time. Coming back to it with fresh ears during the writing session for “The Imperious Horizon,” we found the right direction for the track and were able to craft it into a slower, emotional, and more building track than the other, faster tracks on the album. During that writing process, we started improvising melody lines for the vocal part and could immediately envisage Alan delivering those lines on the track. As a singer, I feel like I could have done a decent job of those parts, but I also know that I don’t have the same kind of singing voice as Alan. There is a gravel and timbre to Alan’s voice that is unique and adds a gravitas to clean vocals being delivered in the way the track needed. So, as we are friends, then why not go direct to the source…
With that in our heads, we asked Alan if he would be interested in singing on that track, and he agreed. He came over to Manchester after we had finished tracking the main body of the album, and spent a few days with us at our friend Mark Mynett’s (My Dying Bride, Rotting Christ, etc.) studio recording and editing his vocals until we had what you hear on the album. The track is a huge, emotional, and yearning track that seeks to find meaning in a world where many sources of comfort and joy have been eroded. It searches for a better place, one of solace and repose, but it is set against a landscape of decay and upheaval. A place many of us find ourselves in within the modern world. When you hear Alan’s voice singing the lyrics on this, I believe you will feel these things too, and understand why this collaboration was an essential addition to the album.
Montreal Rocks: You included a cover of Emperor’s “The Majesty of the Night Sky” as a bonus track. What was the inspiration behind this choice, and how did you approach reinterpreting such a legendary track?
Chris Naughton: It’s always difficult trying to settle on a band to cover, but this time around it felt very natural to tackle something by Emperor. Earlier this year, we played a couple of shows supporting them in Scotland and Ireland – which were, of course, fantastic. There’s the whole Candlelight Records link, of course, and we even had Lee Barrett do photos for this album. Lee, of course, was responsible for signing Emperor to the label way back when. So it felt nice to come full circle and cover something from “In the Nightside Eclipse.” Why this song? I mean, in reality, it could have been anything from this album, but we wanted to aim for maybe a deeper album cut, and also one with keyboards on it, as we have explored that instrument more widely on the album as a whole. It also has nice dynamics within it – the quieter mid-section, for instance – which we tried to inject our own flavour into a little with the choral vocals. Otherwise, I think it’s a pretty faithful rendition that tries to keep the old-school feeling of the original alive and well.
Montreal Rocks: With over 18 years and seven studio albums behind you, how do you feel Winterfylleth’s sound has evolved since “The Ghost of Heritage”? Is there a particular direction you envision the band taking in the future?
Chris Naughton: I think with us it’s been a steady evolution. We’re not a band to go out on a limb and drastically flip the musical style on its head (maybe with the exception of us making a solely acoustic album in 2018), so any progressions have been more in how we have managed to hone our songwriting or strive for greater emotional heights, etc. I think in that respect “The Imperious Horizon” could potentially be the apex of that goal thus far. There are some moments on this album that I feel could potentially soar higher musically than we have before, and yet there are other moments that are more aggressive and in your face.
As for how that evolves… well, as I said earlier, we don’t like to be too contrived about songwriting, and of course, you must write what is natural and comes out of you at the time.
Montreal Rocks: The black metal scene has changed a lot since your formation in 2006. How do you feel Winterfylleth fits into the current landscape of black metal, both in the UK and internationally?
Chris Naughton: The black metal scene was very small in the UK (and had even dwindled to some extent more globally over the previous 5-10 years) when we started as a band circa 2006. So there really wasn’t a blueprint for what the scene should look like or be. When we were first discussing concepts for Winterfylleth’s musical and lyrical themes, we were quite clear that we wanted to create something inspired by the landscapes, mythology, and history of the British Isles, at least in some way. In our early correspondence, Simon and I had discussed creating a new vision of British Black Metal, which we felt at the time was essentially non-existent. So, it often felt like we were a part of something new for the UK when we began our activities in Winterfylleth.
We’ve always tried to do our best to forge a path for ourselves as a unique-sounding, atmospheric, black metal entity – and then try to build on that organically within each release. But we’ve also tried to make sure we were able to take the band outside of the UK and bring credible black metal from the UK to other areas of Europe and beyond. Alongside a handful of bands like Fen, AFOS, and Saor, we were amongst the first bands to do so, and I hope we have made that journey easier and more credible for all the bands who have come to life in the years since. So, even though we are still relatively young guys, I would hope we are seen as a galvanizing force for the UK scene and a standard bearer for what bands from our country can do on the international scene.
Montreal Rocks: The cover art for “The Imperious Horizon” is striking—how does it connect with the themes of the album?
Chris Naughton: The title itself is about the idea of there being some kind of sneering, arrogant, and calculated agenda bubbling away beyond the horizon, shrouded in mist, aimed at the detriment of humanity and its personal freedoms. The lyrics and concept are somewhat of a rumination on the state of the world and of this idea that we, as people, are often treated like pawns in a global game of profit and loss, rather than as sovereign beings in control of their own destiny. The lyrical concepts try to address some of that in as stylish and befitting a way as possible within the context of visceral and sweeping black metal music.
I guess that artwork captures, in a very striking and evocative way, the idea of a mist-shrouded horizon and the mystery that lies beyond. It also hints at the frostier style of riffing and tones on the album, and ties that in with our ongoing aesthetic concepts of there being no modernity in the imagery. An idea borne of showing the vastness and purity of nature, when unaffected by man’s often environmentally depleting endeavours.
Montreal Rocks: You’ve announced tour dates in Europe, but what are the chances of touring North America?
Chris Naughton: As things stand, it’s probably a very low chance, to be honest. Musicians’ visas, equipment/van hire, travel expenses, and accommodation for the band would make it a very cost-prohibitive endeavour for us, unless we get the right offer to come over there. Never say never, of course, but the current landscape for artists getting over to North America is quite challenging and has recently got more difficult with the increased visa costs to enter the USA.
Montreal Rocks: What bands/artists (of any genre) have excited you recently?
Chris Naughton: There are a wide spectrum of bands that we are across as a band of individuals, but for myself, some of the releases I’ve found to be impactful recently are:
- Akhlys – “House of the Black Geminus”
- Vemod – “The Deepening”
- Ulcerate – “Cutting the Throat of God”
- Magnetar – “There Will Be No Peace in My Valley”
- Hyperdontia – “Harvest of Malevolence”
- Proscription – “Conduit”
- Hellbutcher – “S/T”
- Fellwarden – “Legend”
- Arð – “Untouched by Fire”
- Spectral Wound – “Songs of Blood & Mire”
- Harp – “Albion”
- Arx Atrata – “A Reckoning”
- Hauntologist – “Hollow”
- Khanate – “To Be Cruel”
…and no doubt many others.
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