Paysage D’Hiver – Die Berge (Review)

This is the third album from Swiss black metal solo band Paysage D’Hiver.

Die Berge contains a colossal 103 minutes of atmospheric/ambient black metal for the listener to feast upon greedily. The artist behind Paysage D’Hiver has created an album to fall deeply into, never to return.

Sometimes all you need is some epic-length black metal to lose yourself in, and Die Berge is exactly one such absorbing album. It’s an enthralling journey that the artist takes you on, and it’s worth the time investment as the atmospheres are deep and captivating; Die Berge is incredibly atmospheric. The goal of the music is black-metal-as-pure-atmosphere, and in this it excels. Which, of course, is a really good thing for such a long album.

This is black metal that’s raw and mood-focused, dragging the listener through a freezing windswept environment that’s as harsh as it is beautiful. It’s music that’s rooted in the Scandinavian second wave, and it’s full of cold vast vistas, imposing icy peaks, and dark menacing depths. The songs are well-crafted, with plenty to hold the listener’s attention. Atmosphere is king in these hostile lands, and tools like emotive melody, serrated violence, frosted riffs, and ambient touches all add to the comprehensive worldbuilding that the artist undertakes with such apparent ease.

Now, you may quite reasonably be thinking, that’s all well and good, but do I really need over 100 minutes of the stuff? Well, that depends. I say yes quite strongly, but then I’m particularly partial to this heavily atmospheric style, as well as raw old-school black metal and very long, immersive albums. So, for me, this hits the spot. If you’re at least partial to anything along those lines, I’d definitely recommend engrossing yourself in Die Berge. Basically, Paysage D’Hiver’s music is underground, grim, frostbitten, and long, and if this appeals to you then Die Berge is an essential experience to undertake.