Beneath the Stars of Freezing Night by Within Thy Wounds | Review

Within Thy Wounds has returned with a captivating and astounding EP. Grab your heaviest coat and step outside, because Within Thy Wounds wants you to look up. The Texas project has carried faith-grounded black metal since 2019, and Beneath the Stars of Freezing Night fits an entire winter's night into three tracks and just under 21 minutes.

The title track opens on howling winds before an immaculate, fuzzy riff arrives with a twinkling, somber second guitar layered above it. That pairing is classic Within Thy Wounds flair from Forest of Iniquity, but the song carries over plenty of the grit established on Ringing the Bell of Gleaming Martyrdom. From there the track drifts between the cavernous, blistering atmosphere of a windswept, freezing night and the soft, subtle twinkle of the stars above it. A wonderful synth passage closes things out, returning to Within Thy Wounds more ambient background instead of the dungeon synth influence of its more recent work.

"Vast Forests Beyond Emerald Gates" brings that dungeon synth back, and in a way any fan of rawer black metal will love. Subtle flutters open the song, eerie and calming at once. Then an epic tidal wave of distortion and blast beats crashes in, triumphant and monumental, with the tremolos tucked gently beneath the riffs and drums where they usually fight for center stage.

But oh man, midway through come the chugalug caveman riffs. They groove hard and give the track an intensity that makes it more dynamic and driven. The groove is placed so well that when it peels back, you'll want to fist pump before the song returns to being the absolute ripper it is. Clashing cymbals and heightened tremolos carry that momentum through the back half until the dungeon synth returns, and you're left gazing upon a forest so vast it fills you with awe. This is the standout here, and it's amazing.

"Allure of Frostbitten Dreamscapes" opens with jangly guitar sweeps echoing over string scratches and small thumps, while soft synth runs conjure frozen caves or wide plains of snow at twilight. Again the song swings between that hush and thunderous eruptions, capturing how frozen landscapes fill us with wonder and dread, whimsy and the will to survive. Cold has a way of cutting our superficial worries down to something more real. I love the heavy distortion applied to the vocals later in the track. Then the howling winds from the opening return, and the journey comes full circle. Excellent, excellent work.

Where Vials of Wrath walks the autumn woods, this record waits out the first hard freeze. Fans of the wintry sprawl of Wolves in the Throne Room will feel right at home under these stars, too, and the caveman groove in "Vast Forests" gives Within Thy Wounds a swagger its faith-grounded peers rarely reach for.

The project's tagline reads, "Remember that you will die." The album page answers with Psalm 27:4: "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." David's next line asks "to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord." The memento mori and the gaze belong together. Numbered days make the one thing worth seeking clearer, and a freezing night strips away everything else. Beneath the Stars of Freezing Night lingers in that cold long enough to point your eyes upward.

You can check out Within Thy Wounds on Bandcamp and Spotify, and grab merch from their Printify store.