At times, I question the reason or validity of labels / bands reissuing older material from Heavy Metal’s bygone days. There are, of course, bands that are worthy and truly deserve the opportunity for us to revisit what some would consider benchmarks of the genre. Then, on the flipside, there are some you truly have to wonder why, but we won’t dwell on those. Let’s focus on the foremost observation. Darkness Shall Rise Productions has scored a rare gem to release material from Black Metal’s truly groundbreaking heyday. The band in question is OLD WAINDS, and for those privileged enough to experience the band in its initial inception, know what a rare gift we have been given (three releases actually). Having formed in the golden era of the mid-nineties, OLD WAINDS gave us some truly epic dark, cold and unrelenting material that rivals / compares to the output of DARKTHONE, SATANIC WARMASTER and BEHEMOTH from that time period. When I first discovered the band, it was through the “Scalding Coldness” release, and on vinyl too. Needless to say, that particular album is locked in an airtight 24/7 video security vault as well. I jest, of course, but I was stunned by the sheer bleak and icy atmosphere they exuded. I thought this is truly what Black Metal should be! The band amalgamates the drone repetitiveness of BURZUM, the starkness and minimalism of DARKTHRONE and the frigid atmosphere and aura of IMMORTAL. Now I may get some hate mail and plenty of comments, but at that time and still as of this day, I found OLD WAINDS to be better than what DARKTHRONE was releasing. The band encapsulated an aura of true darkness that could not be rivaled. You would be hard-pressed not to find them comparable to or, if not better than, some of their brethren. Now granted, for the most part, the band maintained a similar sound throughout their discography with the expected minor changes in production. It’s only on this release that I find the vocals are more of a croak-rasp style similar to Abbath of IMMORTAL. Also, I must say that the remastering is done extremely well. It maintains the atmosphere in every way. Everything is just perhaps louder and contains a distinct clarity in the instruments. The buzzsaw of guitars, the pounding from the depths of hell in the drums and the vocals. Yes, those vocals from Hell itself. It all comes together in such a monumental way. It goes to show what just three members can do. You don’t need an epic production with the keyboards and the 25-member orchestra to create a truly dark atmosphere. This band is one of the few that created a sound that to me is truly Black Metal. Don’t take my word for it, please experience a monument in time for yourself. Also check out my fellow scribes reviews of the other two releases. I could not have worded it much better. More info at: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565691417094, www.facebook.com/darknessshallriseproductions