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With a band name taken from the Old English word for "October" and cover artwork that frequently features black clouds, leafless trees, and now, snowcapped peaks, you know what you're going to get from a new Winterfylleth album: comfort music for seasonal affective disorder.

Jokes aside, although I consider myself a fan, I find their back catalogue to be highly variable. I used to think of them as the Opeth of pagan/black metal for a while, with one to three amazing songs per album, and the rest being somewhat forgettable. That changed with The Reckoning Dawn, one of the best black metal albums of 2020. With the band really nailing the atmosphere as well as every riff and melody on that release, expectations were naturally high for The Imperious Horizon. Unfortunately, they miss the mark slightly this time, with several good-but-not-great songs that are just not as memorable as I've come to expect. The riffs are a bit blander, the melodies less evocative, and the atmosphere less mesmerizing.

That said, there are some truly great songs here including the title track and the bleak 10-minute Primordial-like epic "In Silent Grace," which, sure enough, features a powerful guest vocal performance by A.A. Nemtheanga. The song is slow to build, dark, oppressive, and beautiful, and while both vocalists complement the overall mood, Nemtheanga's outright despair suits it particularly well. I also want to highlight "To the Edge of Tyranny" which takes a much more in-your-face approach than you usually hear from Winterfylleth, calling second-wave black metal to mind.

While this album is by no means flawless and doesn't quite reach the quality of its predecessor, Winterfylleth fans will undoubtedly find parts to enjoy. It might even contain one of the best songs of the year in "In Silent Grace," so be sure to check that out if nothing else.