Honoring one of our best traditions of the last several years, we packed our gear and headed once again to Tallinn for the 12th edition of Howls of Winter, this year taking place at Tapper in Tallinn from February 13th until February 15th, 2025.
Following a traditional stopover for some beer tasting – despite to be honest now it seems that Põhjala has become way too touristy – and a bit more sightseeing around town, it was soon time to once again take a ride to Tapper for the last day of Howls of Winter. It’s always astonishing in a way how fast this weekend goes – and how intense it can get, so after a good injection of caffeine in the form of Irish coffee, we were ready for the last six bands of this year.
Born as a project from Vritra of KRINGA’s fame (along with the drummer Talon), WEATHERED CREST sure was intriguing: raw black metal with some punk and noise influences and strong ’80s vibes, it also reminded in its most primitive form about another of the drummer’s projects, HAGZISSA. The show gave a strangely upbeat feeling or at least set up in a good mood for the rest of the night.
Another Portuguese band after yesterday’s MONS VENERIS (with whom they share a live guitarist), VENTR showed a faster, darker, approach in their raw black metal. Oppressive as it is energetic, the lamenting growls of the singer echoed around the hall giving an unsettling feeling along with the tempo of their music. They certainly had some good moments and did capture the attention of quite a few inside the crowded venue.
You don’t often hear about Scottish black metal bands, so when LUNAR MANTRA came on stage there was at least a certain curiosity, not being familiar with the band beforehand. Another fast-paced, hammering ride alternated with a more experimental sound – even adding ambient to their offer – they did good at overwhelming their fans with a sonic barrage and their strong stage presence did the rest in a convincing performance.
Still from UK but further down in English territory came the following ABDUCTION, whose new album “Existentialismus” is only a week away from this festival. Certainly an interesting name in the UK black metal scene, the band showed its strengths here at the festival with an engaging show and display of songs mixing modern sounds with more traditional melodies in an intriguing yet solid combination. Of course some new material was introduced during the gig, showcasing the versatility not just of the vocalist but the band as a whole. Not for the purists, but certainly something interesting if you are looking for something different.
THE RUINS OF BEVERAST doesn’t require an introduction, the atmospheric and doomy black metal one-man project is something that took a few years to grow on me from when I first got introduced to it, eventually, I was sold and expected nothing but good things from this gig. Needless to say, the band delivered very well in that regard. Tapper was the perfect stage for them in this tight performance that saw the band beautifully showcase the eerie atmospheres from their most recent efforts, easily conquering the audience and igniting their spirits before the final act. As a side note, they were also the first band tonight to actually use candles on stage, which I found somehow slightly bizarre.
Having seen VEMOD in Bergen last summer at the Grieghallen, I was very curious to see how the Norwegians would have fared in a smaller club show setting. The band pulled a “batman” by projecting their logo on the ceiling before the show, then introducing the fans to last year’s effort “The Deepening”, the second full-length of the band in 24 years, and 12 years after their acclaimed debut. Of course, the atmosphere was completely different than at Beyond the Gates, but it still worked in a different way, the audience being closer to the stage, even though the band is not exactly the kind that inspires contact with the fans. Nonetheless, they were a fitting final act for the festival slowly fading out into the layered and enveloping atmospheres created by the band, who mesmerized their fans with a mix of old and new material, while others who were not so keen on this kind of music began to disappear into the night.
What else is there to add if not that Howls of Winter confirms itself once again as a really solid staple in the European underground, showcasing every time some interesting acts, and doing so with the uttermost professionalism from everyone involved? It takes a lot of work to reach this level of reliability and we are glad to see year after year how the efforts pay off. To anyone who wants to venture deeper into exploring this extreme fringe of music, it’s an event we can only recommend.
WEATHERED CREST
VENTR
LUNAR MANTRA
ABDUCTION
THE RUINS OF BEVERAST
VEMOD
