Winter - 2022 - Fire Rider

(77:53; Wintergothic)

Track list:
1. Unholy Blood 5:00
2. Fire Rider 5:42
3. That Much Is True 3:44
4. Child of the 80s 5:10
5. Pray 5:59
6. Under the Gun 5:56
7. Lost in the Ice 4:44
8. Rough Love 4:34
9. Violent Dream 4:38
10. Into the Void 4:18
11. You’ve Been on My Mind 4:10
12. Can’t Hold Back the Tears 4:44
13. Never Again 4:58
14. I Want It Black 4:55
15. When All Is Said and Done 3:17
16. Run Away from Pain (Pale Horse Part II) 6:04

Line-up:
Markus Winter - vocals, bass, guitars, synthesizer, programmming
Hugo Ribeiro - drumns
Michael Donner - keyboards, synthesizer
Nera Mamic - vocals
with:
Aliz AJ - vocals
Onur Cobain - vocals
Fredrik Pihl - guitars
Yoed Nir - cello
Angelina DelCarmen - vocals
Florian Grey - vocals
Hugo Lee - saxophone
Sumwok Kim - string arrangements


German artist Markus Winter is a seasoned musician that has been active since the 1990's sometime, albeit with his past discography not being the easiest to track down as far as details are concerned. In the past few years he has become a bit more visible as well as fairly productive, with two solo albums and one compilation album released within the last 18 months or so. "Fire Rider" is the most recent of his studio albums, and was released through his own Wintergothic label in the fall of 2022.

What we get on this album is a CD jam packed with music that by and large will fall under the hard rock category, with a few different variations of the form explored. Many of the songs revolves around a tight arrangement with playful but controlled riffs and rhythms and chorus sections that have a distinct radio friendly character to them, with the verse sections being tighter and a bit more subdued in nature while the chorus sections have a tendency to blossom into a richer and more impact oriented display. Slight nods in the direction of soft rock and AOR style hard is a presence on these escapades, and they often come with charming, playful guitar solo runs too.

The main part of the other songs here comes with a darker and more brooding nature and orientation. Some feature crunchier and gnarlier guitars, other will have a beefier guitar sound, and many in both categories will have a more distinct keyboards and occasional synthesizer presence. While not all of them will touch base with a bit more of a Gothic rock sound and expression, although quite a few do, a more or less distinct undercurrent from Gothic rock tends to be a presence in these compositions.

With the album switching back and forth between these two sets of main songs, tension and variety are well maintained throughout, in addition to the vocals also adding a bit of tension of their own. Winter's vocals are well controlled, with a darker tone and timbre being a particular strength of his. Quite a few times I did note down a slight Billy Idol association here, and the voice and how it is delivered is if not the sole then at least an important factor in that association coming to mind.

Those who tend to enjoy hard rock with a radio friendly character, a well controlled delivery and a dark tone as a characteristic trait for such music should find a lot to enjoy on this album, and those fond of such material occasionally taking on a beefier, and crunchier character with a bit of a Gothic rock swagger at times should feel right at home with this album. A good album with many solid tracks.

Olav M. Björnsen, October 2022

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/WINTERpalehorse