SEIDR - For Winter Fire (CD)

_It is a rare delight to find an album that totally removes you from your surroundings and immerses you in a rich and deep universe of its own; this is precisely what Seidr have done with their debut For Winter Fire. Although the band's roots lie in classic death/doom _ la early Katatonia, they seamlessly blend an impressive host of other influences that ultimately make the band hard to peg down. Where the album truly succeeds is in its use of American folk-based aesthetics, channeling the profound sorrow of early blues and bluegrass into something entirely more vicious and crushing. For Winter Fire is paced like a glacier, giving ample time to digest its innumerable nuances. Moreover it is the rich layering that earns it the profundity to draw listeners in and get lost for the album's hour-and-thirteen-minute running time. For those too lazy to use their imagination, Seidr's most direct comparison is to the late great Bay Area funeral doom troop Asunder. Although there are musical similarities (funeral paced doom, somber clean vocals, acoustic instruments, etc.) where the two are most akin are in aesthetic. Similarities aside, Seidr is ultimately much more varied both musically and in terms of pace and thereby being a more attractive band to those praising musical diversity over strict aesthetic traditionalism. In the end, For Winter Fire is a monumental achievement in the genre of doom and there is no doubt in my mind that Seidr will encourage progress in the ancient art of doom metal.?