Band: Ninkharsag
Album: The Black Swords of Winter
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
Country: United Kingdom
Label: Vendetta Records
Released: March 7th, 2025
Introduction
The 7th of March was a good day, all because Ninkharsag, the Melodic black metal outfit out of the United Kingdom, released their latest work onto the world. The EP bares the name The Black Swords of Winter, and if it’s anything like their previous second full album, The Dread March of Solemn Gods, then I don’t doubt it will be good.
The Dread March of Solemn Gods was released in 2021 and has been on a regular repeat cycle ever since. But it was time for some new music from the blokes and lo and behold, here it is!
The Black Swords of Winter
The Black Swords of Winter is an EP, containing 6 songs, with the first song being an intro of 50 seconds long, the other 5 songs are of decent length and the entire EP has a runtime of 23 minutes.
Track list:
- Wolf Moon Acclamation
- The Black Swords of Winter
- The Serpent of the Void
- Beyond the Ancient Crypts of Sorrow
- The Grave Sworn Lords
- Beneath the Cloak of Nightfall
As said, the first song Wolf Moon Acclamation is an intro, and it sets the setting for the rest of the album very well. The band is one of the better melodic black metal bands that emerged in the last few years, and they make that perfectly clear on the rest of the album.
I won’t go through the songs one by one because well you’ll have to listen to this album yourself and make your own judgement on a song to song basis, but for me. The title song of the EP The Black Swords of Winter sums up the album perfectly well. The vocals and riffs blend very well, and it feels to me that the album is mixed also better than the previous album. That could be due to a change of record label, but I couldn’t find how mixed this EP.
Another song that made a good impression on me is the fifth song, The Grave of Sworn Lords. This song is fairly short, that also goes for the tracks The Serpent of the Void and Beyond the Ancient Crypts of Sorrow, but with my attention span, that’s just perfect.
The overall feeling of this EP is great, all the songs are good and if you are a fan of Melodic black metal than this is a must-listen for you. I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed.
Conclusion
Did you love the previous album? If that’s a yes, then just go listen to this and buy it to support the band. Do you like melodic black metal, but you aren’t familiar with this band yet, then you are in for a treat! Go ahead, give it a few spins, and I’m pretty sure you are hooked.
BMZ Rating : 8 out of 10 – Very Good: An impressive album that rises above many others. It features innovative ideas, captivating lyrics, or excellent musicianship that makes it stand out.
You can support the band here: https://ninkharsag.bandcamp.com/album/the-black-swords-of-winter
Your thoughts on Ninkharsag — The Black Swords of Winter
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