Reviews list for Nordicwinter - Solitude (2025)

Black metal releases from my more established favourites in 2025 have been mixed affairs. After the recent disappointment with the new BAN record and my growing distance from Drudkh’s offering this year, my EOY black metal list is full of a few less than familiar faces this year. Enter Canadian one-man outfit, Nordicwinter. By all accounts still very much a recent discovery of mine from the past three or four years, it is up to him to maybe forge a space in the top 10 or top 20 of my list for this year.

The early signs are good. The stabbing melancholy of ‘Whispers of the Frozen Abyss’ is a delicious interjection in the slow-moving pace of the track, emphasising the harrowing tone of the guitar brilliantly. With the haunting, yet strangely calming opening of ‘The Howling Void’ perfectly setting the track up for an exploration of a truly vast and dark space indeed. It is clear, even at this early stage of proceedings, that evillair is not deviating away from his established sound that I have experienced over all his albums to date. This traversal of a well-trodden path as something I was particularly critical of the latest BAN record for doing. However, by way of context, Nordicwinter is no experimental artist. Over multiple releases he has honed his sound to the point where I personally do not want it change. As a result, a Nordicwinter album is something of a safe space for me.

I am expectant of the inclusion of a morose sounding piano. Greeting those slow-picked strings with welcoming arms as the notes appear through the thick atmospheres of the tracks. The depressive melodies resonate through the speakers into my very soul, ironically filling me full of emptiness. As usual, production values are high and all the instruments are audible in the mix to the point where they can easily be picked out. This is the standard that evillair has set over eight albums and I doubt I would ever want it to change.

His ghastly, rasping vocals never stray into clean territory and this is an important feature for maintaining the darkness in the core black metal sound. Thankfully, Solitude sticks to a core atmo-black vibe, staying well away from gaze and post-metal territory. The album possesses a great comfort for me, something that only actual solitude itself can usually offer. As someone who revels in my own company, easily going for days without seeing or hearing from anyone, this album is the very embodiment of the state that its title uses. Time alone with your own thoughts and reasoned choice is precious, permitting you to ponder your own mortality and contemplate what is important to your very existence. That’s the setting for how I will endeavour to enjoy this album moving forwards.