SINGLE REVIEW - Winter Hotel - "Lovers At Bay"
Winter Hotel ferociously blend harmonic ambiance and slamming grooves in “Lovers At Bay”
Written by JD Walker
Some songs are just so chaotic that they leave the listener asking “What genre is this?” Winter Hotel gives that type of impression at first listen, but it definitely isn’t a bad thing. The Welsh quartet hailing from Bangor, UK blend an eclectic mix of post-hardcore, classic emo, metalcore, and even elements of slam death metal and black metal for one of the most unique tracks of the year.
The song begins with a blistering selection of harmonic voicings and ambiance that leave the listener in a trance. The verse kicks the song into a much more heavy offering that drives the entirety of the tune, as guitarist and bassist do a phenomenal job of blending beautiful melodies with downright brutal rhythmic patterns. The drummer drove the metaphorical car through the back of the garage with his upbeat delivery and energy behind the kit. Vocalist brought a completely unique style to the song, bringing a vocal delivery style that’s more reminiscent of blackened death metal or slam than what’s typically expected in post-hardocre.
While the different tonal choices of the song are unique, the song’s structure and composition is anything but off-putting. The song as a whole flows impossibly well for the amount of different sounds and influences that the band brings. According to the band, their mission is to ‘create a band and a sound that removes the boundaries between metal’s vast spectrum of subgenres’. Listeners will without a doubt agree that this mission is very thoroughly accomplished.
Winter Hotel is one of the most unique bands that this writer has had the pleasure of reviewing. Their seamless blend of hardcore rhythms, harmoniclly-driven riffs, and death metal-inspired vocals are truly a sound to behold and become enveloped in. For those wishing to get out of their sonic comfort zone and explore new styles and sounds while still retaining a sense of familiarity to their favorite bands, Winter Hotel is undoubtedly a great band to check out. The band is only just beginning, having a collection of songs written and ready to go and releasing them one at a time as individual chapters of a larger narrative. The horizon is bright for Winter Hotel.