Italy’s Svart Vinter have moved on apace since their 2022 debut Mist, which, whilst competent enough, didn’t really pull up too many trees in the great scheme of the black metal Universe.

New album Isvind pitches the band as significant up and comers, and new label Non Serviam Records will surely be pleased with the progress their charges have made in the last couple of years. SV opt for a sparse, cavernous and icy sound for the most part, pausing only to add the odd heroic key change to break things up a little and set  pulses racing. The first three tracks on the album set things up nicely, especially opener Torment,  but the real meat of the album follows thereafter, culminating in standout cut Of Cold and Grief, which is a real step up in quality for this band and shows that this is a group of musicians readily able to touch real heights of emotion in their songwriting.

If there’s a criticism to be made, it’s that sometimes the band don’t go for broke when the listener is there for the taking; Closing track Beneath The Night’s Cold Gaze is a fine exemplar of this. A stately, glacial grind that carries hints of Dark Funeral in it’s DNA, it just lacks the edge of brutal barbarity possessed by Lord Ahriman and company. It’s good, but frustratingly just inches away from greatness. A few tweaks here and there might make all the difference.

Still, other tracks that catch the attention Ritual and Abyss both suggest there’s a bright (if that’s the right word) future for Svart Vinter moving forward. They’ve got the iciness and frostbitten menace – add in a bit more savagery and they might really be ready to take on the World!

Isvind Will be released on May 30th.