Howling Wind - Into the Cryosphere

2010 release from the Black Metal outfit. Ryan Lipynsky (AKA Killusion) started The Howling Wind after the demise of his former band Thralldom-a legendary cult group and one of the spearheads of the current US Black Metal scene. Originally known as Drifting Collision, The Howling Wind was renowned even before the release of their now-out-of-print debut Pestilence And Peril. Expanding on the dark vision Lipynsky explored on past releases, Into the Cryosphere is a harsh, primal journey through the deadly terrain of Antarctica. But where the tales of other Black Metal bands on the frozen continent typically come off like something from the mind of a WWE wrestler, The Howling Wind sketches a barren sonic portrait-noisy, doom-filled, and steeped in occult themes. This extreme, old-school Black Metal takes cues from past greats such as Bathory, Celtic Frost / Hellhammer, Darkthrone, and Autopsy; a punishing soundtrack to an arctic death march where horror and despair are the only reality.