Emerging from Austria’s atmospheric black metal underground, Winter’s Breath stands as a deeply personal one-man project shaped by emotion, introspection, and evolving sonic landscapes. In this interview, the artist reflects on the project’s origins in symphonic black metal, the shift toward a more balanced sound, and the inner experiences that fuel each composition.
The following interview is n collaboration with Running Wild Productions
Asmoth: Winter’s Breath is a one-man project rooted in atmospheric black metal—what was your original vision when you started it, and how has that vision evolved over time?
Burkhard Lettner: When I started the project, I was listening to a lot of symphonic black metal. I was fascinated by the multilayered nature of the music and by how much atmosphere and tension could be created when you use more than just guitars. That was the initial idea behind Winter’s Breath: using orchestral elements to build a dense, immersive atmosphere.
Over time, this approach has changed somewhat. The orchestral parts have moved more into the background and no longer take up as much space as they did on Graveyard Symphonies. This probably also reflects my own development over the years and my desire to give other elements more room in the music.
Asmoth: Your music carries a strong emotional weight. What kind of feelings or themes do you aim to express through Winter’s Breath?
Burkhard Lettner: With Winter’s Breath, I try to process my everyday perceptions and experiences through music—things that occupy my mind or happen around me. These impressions often find their way into individual tracks, but sometimes they grow into a broader concept that runs through an entire album.
A good example of this is Eine düstre Winternacht, where the themes and atmosphere are connected across all songs, creating a coherent narrative and emotional arc. For me, Winter’s Breath is a way of translating inner states, moods, and reflections into sound, whether they are personal, melancholic, or shaped by the world I observe.
Asmoth: Can you walk us through your songwriting process? Do you usually start with atmosphere, riffs, or a specific concept in mind?
Burkhard Lettner: It really depends. Sometimes I already have a melody in my head, and other times I just sit down and start experimenting. Sometimes something comes out of it, sometimes it doesn’t.
Once there is a melody or a basic song structure, I begin to build the rest of the track around it. What I usually know from the beginning is whether the song should be faster or slower in its overall pace. Sometimes the process is very quick and I have a rough version of the song finished within one or two hours. Other times it can take weeks, especially when I’m not fully satisfied with certain parts and keep reworking them until they feel right.
Asmoth: Being a solo project, how do you approach composition and arrangement differently compared to a full band setup?
Burkhard Lettner: That’s a difficult question to answer, since I’ve never actually played in a band myself. I would say that as a solo artist, you make all the decisions on your own and also have to take full responsibility when something doesn’t work out the way you imagined.
In a well‑functioning band, the process is probably much more based on compromise between the members. As a solo project, Winter’s Breath allows me to follow my own ideas without having to negotiate every step, but at the same time it also means that every creative choice—and every mistake—rests entirely on me.
Asmoth: What are your main musical and non-musical influences that have shaped the sound and identity of Winter’s Breath?
Burkhard Lettner: If I break it down to bands and albums, a lot of my influences clearly come from the 1990s. Albums like Wildhoney by Tiamat were especially important to me—it was the first record I heard that created such a dense atmosphere and felt truly cohesive as a whole. Another key influence was Tales from the Thousand Lakes by Amorphis, which was the album that initially drew me into death and black metal. Samael’s Ceremony of Opposites also played a major role, particularly because of its powerful and focused presentation.
Alongside these classic influences, I’m also inspired by more recent and often smaller bands that explore symphonic and atmospheric black metal. Projects like Sickle of Dust, Afsky, Autrest, Eïs, Eskapism, and Vindland have all left their mark on me in different ways. Together, these influences—both old and new—have helped shape the sound and identity of Winter’s Breath.
Asmoth: Austria has a rich black metal underground—how do you see the current scene there, and where does Winter’s Breath fit within it?
Burkhard Lettner: I think the scene is given a lot of space through various events, concerts, and shows in both smaller and larger clubs. In Austria there currently seem to be enough opportunities to experience this kind of music live.
Especially in Vienna, clubs like Escape, Viper Room, and Szene Wien also give smaller bands the chance to perform live. This creates a healthy environment for the underground and allows different projects to find their place within the scene. Winter’s Breath exists more on the fringes as a studio project, but it is still very much shaped by and connected to this broader atmosphere.
Asmoth: Do you feel that the atmospheric black metal genre is evolving today, or staying true to its roots? What is your personal stance on that?
Burkhard Lettner: I think the genre as a whole has developed in a very healthy way. You only have to look at how many subgenres have emerged over time to see how much it has expanded. Whether all of this is considered “true” to the roots or not, is something everyone has to decide for themselves.
Personally, I feel that atmospheric black metal offers an enormous diversity that allows artists to fully express their own musical vision. That openness is what makes the genre so interesting and exciting to me—it’s constantly evolving, varied, and still leaves plenty of room for individuality.
Asmoth: What are your future plans for Winter’s Breath? Are there new releases, concepts, or directions you’re already working on?
Burkhard Lettner: At the moment, there are no specific plans for Winter’s Breath. It will definitely continue at some point, but I can’t really say when. For quite some time now, I’ve been thinking about how to properly conclude the story of Undead, and it’s possible that this could become the next Winter’s Breath project. We’ll see where it leads.
Right now, I’m more or less working on the next Fallaness album. I already have a few songs finished in their basic structures, but here as well I can’t say when it will be completed. I like to give things the time they need, and it’s also a matter of time on my side—since I do all of this alongside everyday life, there are periods when I barely get the chance to work on music at all.
Album Review: "Stories Left Behind" by Winter's Breath
Album Review: "Eine düstre Winternacht" by Winter's Breath