Band – Ringarë
Album – Thrall of Winter’s Majesty
Country of Origin – USA
Genre – Black Metal
Release Date – April 21st, 2021
Label – Amor Fati Productions
Author – Michael Litteral
Let me start by saying it is an honor to have received this promo and an even bigger honor to write about one of my favorite projects from recent years. Ringarë was conceived after the death of Troglodytic. Ringarë would soon evolve into Chaos Moon. If you haven’t heard of Chaos Moon, I’d strongly encourage you to check them out, for they are just as good as Ringarë. Esoterica, who is the mastermind behind all of these projects, definitely knows how to write and perform black metal. He is also in quite a few other projects that I also encourage you all to check out. Without further ado, I present to you Thrall of Winter’s Majesty.
Before I start to describe this frostbitten, dreamlike album, I must include a little passage from the promo I received. “…Thrall of Winter’s Majesty represents a unique entry in its collection of work: it is not a representation of the future of RINGARË, but is purely conceptual in its form and a reflection of times long gone.” Okay, so what does that mean for us? This means take it or leave it. If you enjoy the ambient soundscapes and the overall ice-cold journey then hell yeah! I’m glad you enjoyed it! But if this album doesn’t tickle your fancy with half the album being instrumental and letting the synth work tell a story in itself then no worries, this is just to give the fans everything that was written under the name of Ringarë. On this release, you can hear the instruments a lot more clear compared to their debut. You can hear every single cymbal hit which was all over the place. But don’t get too comfortable with all of this fine, synth-driven black metal. Because tracks 2 and 4 are reprised versions of two beautiful ambient tracks that made up their 2019 demo release, “Where Cold Dwells and Autumn Once Laid.” I’m actually glad that these tunes got the light of day because this is a collection of tunes that caught me quite early on my journey through the life of Ringarë. The whole experience was an amazing output that I hope. This album passes with flying colors. Prepare to be submerged in frostbitten majesty as Thrall of Winter’s Majesty come just in time for when those infernal flares from the sun start to pick up!
Thrall of Winters Majesty was released on April 17th, 2021 through Amor Fati Productions. CD version is available through their website. You can also enjoy this release today through their Bandcamp.
