Biography
Winter's Thrall was born in London in 1999.
The group's first EP, "Superman", was quickly snapped up by U.K.-based label Copro Records. Winter's Thrall quickly rose to prominence in the U.K. metal scene, and various tours followed.
"Superman" was well received across Europe, with the U.K.'s Metal Hammer and Italy's Psycho! magazines putting tracks on their covermount CDs.
Following extensive club and radio play (including London's largest alternative radio station, XFM), Jez moved to New York to take advantage of the heady international atmosphere and vibrant underground club scene, to find inspiration and further exposure.
Winter's Thrall's full length album, "Anomie", is currently in production.
ABOUT ANOMIE
Anomie is a journey into loss and the feelings that accompany it, from rage through despair, hurt, loneliness and ultimately—even if Jez does not admit it—acceptance.
These are ten beautifully crafted songs which would sound great played just with vocals and a guitar. The melodies are extremely strong, and you'll likely find yourself humming the chorus to "Down" at the oddest times, before you even realize it. However, there is an incredible depth of field in the soundscaping on "Anomie" too, which literally makes the music come alive in the mind's eye.
Jez says, "I wanted to include the expressiveness of musical styles outside the normal range of rock/metal, drawing from such diverse sources as Mongolian throat singing,"—the ghostly growling drones of Tibetan Kaargyra open the album in the haunting "Void"—"…and the plainsong of early European music"—which can be heard stalking the stifling "Hollow Ground", and the dark majesty of "Betrayal".
"The album is basically about loss; loss of loved ones," he continues, "loss of direction and sense of purpose because of these things." He mentions that there is no attempt at reconciliation, or suggestions of how to rebuild your life when situations like the loss of a boyfriend/girlfriend, or loved one's death wreak havoc in your life. "It's not up to me to tell people how to rebuild their lives, or how to grow. People decide that for themselves—it's what makes you who you are. This album is about how when bad things happen, it really sucks. Its about expressing that pain, feeling it, and working through it: instead of burying your head in the sand and giving up, or taking it out on someone else."
Lyrically the work is beautiful, and many of the songs' words stand as works of poetry in their own right. Lines like Cold's "There's nothing worth believing any more; there is no place we haven't been before; the little things that matter pass away, and leave our garden fragrant with decay.'" send shivers down the spine.
What makes this work truly special though, is the charismatic and hurt-filled vocals, by turns the extraordinary power and intimacy with which they are delivered. The hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention as Jez, voice cracked with emotion, delivers lines like "I am broken, I can't find my way" on "Winter's Thrall"; yet you cower at the black rage of "My best isn't good enough for you!" in the hate-filled chorus of "Void".
Though some songs are more challenging than others, there are levels here that are lacking in many popular works by similar artists. You will most likely find you end up preferring different tunes than the ones that first caught your attention. When quizzed on this, Jez replies, "Yeah, I grew up listening to NIN and classical composers like Wagner and Vaughan-Williams, so there is a lot happening behind the scenes in the music which I do not truly understand myself. That's half the fun of writing it: often I won't understand some of what my subconscious is saying until years later!"
The album closes with the powerful and bitter-sweet "November", which pulls deeply from pre-Christian Celtic culture. "It is an attempt at a laying to rest, a burial rite to give dignity, and show a great depth of love and respect—something which Christianity entirely fails to do." Amidst the sweeping cadences, and the yawning, chasmal vastness, you truly feel dwarfed, you realize the microscopic length of time you have on this earth—yet you are left with an appreciation of the beauty of life and of the incredible experiences it has to offer.
The word anomie is defined as a condition or malaise in individuals, characterized by the decay of standards or values, and an associated feeling of alienation and purposelessness. Applied to society, it represents the reign of isolation and predation over cooperation and trust, "something we see on a daily basis as ruthless corporations continue to grow fat on the proceeds of slave labor, selling us what passes for culture at the expense of our environment, our spiritual lives and our communities. " adds Jez.
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