Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Length: 46:07
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Today we head to Portugal to listen to Forgotten Winter's latest album, Lucífugo, released in 2024 by Loudriver Records (a branch of SlowDriver Productions). This new opus features six tracks totalling 46 minutes and 7 seconds. Lucífugo is the band's fourth album.
Forgotten Winter are a symphonic black metal band (according to Metal Archives) formed in Castelo Branco in 2004. The band released their debut EP Infinitas Estruturas do Desconhecimento in 2008, followed a year later by their debut album Dialéctica Transcendental. Two more albums followed: Origem da Inexistência in 2013 and Vinda in 2015. To be perfectly honest, I hadn't really taken the time to delve into their discography until the release of Lucífugo.
Unlike what I might have expected from a band labelled symphonic black metal, Forgotten Winter's Lucífugo takes a much more atmospheric approach. The rhythm is heavy and slow, dominated by layers of keyboards, perceptible from the very first track, Lucífuga Vila. Melodies intertwine throughout the album, supported by nuanced songwriting that explores different states of mind, often tinged with melancholy. The vocals come in a variety of forms: high-pitched vocals, clear vocals and the occasional narrative passage, reaching peak intensity on Sentinela na Masmorra and Baile dos Cadáveres. Female vocals can also be heard, notably on the track Nenúfar. At times, the whole is reminiscent of the Austrian band Summoning, particularly the way the different parts are arranged and respond to each other.
Some of the album's highlights include the immersive atmosphere created at 8:04 on Lucífuga Vila, followed by a striking vocal performance at 8:43. On Nenúfar, a beautiful instrumental acceleration emerges at 5:26. The epic ambience of Sentinela na Masmorra at 3:30, followed at 4:10 by a powerful vocal performance against a backdrop of repetitive melodies, is also worthy of note. With Baile dos Cadáveres, you're immediately overwhelmed by the intense vocals as soon as the track opens; I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere that builds up around 4:03, as well as the melodic acceleration introduced by a scream at 5:16. Finally, Ascralt offers a progression that once again evokes Summoning, with a long, majestic track that concludes the album with a chant that could be described as ceremonial.
My favourite Lucífugo tracks include Nenúfar, Sentinela na Masmorra and Baile dos Cadáveres.
On Lucífugo, Forgotten Winter offers nuanced, often melancholy compositions, sometimes evoking the world of Summoning. The album stands out for its immersive atmospheres, well-placed accelerations and diversity of vocals.