How Like a Winter
Encyclopedia
How Like a Winter is a gothic
doom metal
band from Italy
that was formed in the mid-1990s, although their first recording wasn't until much later. The band's music, which can be described as atmospheric and melancholy, is composed using violin
s, various classical, acoustic
and electric guitars, and features male and female vocalists; the band members all use evocative pseudonyms. Male vocals are both clean and growled, whereas the female duo of Tragedy and Misery are invariably clean. Delicate violins mingle with heavy guitar riffs and are complemented by acoustic guitar solos. The band's music has been likened to that of Paradise Lost
, Celestial Season
, Novembers Doom
, Shape of Despair
, and My Dying Bride
. Guitarist Mist lists My Dying Bride as a great inspiration, along with Opeth
and Katatonia
among others.
Their first recording was the 2001 demo
-CD The Winter's Near. The band subsequently released their full-length album ...Beyond My Grey Wake in 2003. Both CDs were recorded at Temple of Noise studios, Rome
, Italy. The release of their debut full-length album was met by very favourable reviews from magazines including Vampire Magazine, Digital Metal and Metal Edge. Martyr Music Group stated "Early in the year (2003) How Like a Winter's debut CD ...Beyond My Grey Wake comes out and the response was simply phenomenal".
The band are currently working on new material.
XCVII:- "How like a winter hath my absence been".
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
band from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
that was formed in the mid-1990s, although their first recording wasn't until much later. The band's music, which can be described as atmospheric and melancholy, is composed using violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, various classical, acoustic
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and electric guitars, and features male and female vocalists; the band members all use evocative pseudonyms. Male vocals are both clean and growled, whereas the female duo of Tragedy and Misery are invariably clean. Delicate violins mingle with heavy guitar riffs and are complemented by acoustic guitar solos. The band's music has been likened to that of Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost (band)
Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England.-History:Their first three full-length albums are examples of the death/doom style, although the latter two incorporated some melodic and gothic elements...
, Celestial Season
Celestial Season
Celestial Season is a Dutch heavy metal band. They were formed in 1991 as a doom/death metal band along the lines of My Dying Bride. They have been described as doom metal, death/doom, stoner rock/metal and goth. Celestial Season disbanded in 2002....
, Novembers Doom
Novembers Doom
Novembers Doom is a death/doom metal band from Chicago, Illinois. They are currently signed to The End Records. Novembers Doom is one of the earliest U.S. death/doom metal bands that are still active today along with Evoken and Rigor Sardonicous....
, Shape of Despair
Shape of Despair
Shape of Despair is an Atmospheric/Funeral Doom metal band from Finland that was formed in 1995 as Raven until 1998, when the band decided to change their name to the current one.-History:...
, and My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in 1990. To date, My Dying Bride have released eleven full-length studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release. The band released their tenth studio album, For Lies I Sire,...
. Guitarist Mist lists My Dying Bride as a great inspiration, along with Opeth
Opeth
Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years...
and Katatonia
Katatonia
Katatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström .-1991-1993:The early Katatonia releases, such as the EP Jhva Elohim Meth.....
among others.
Their first recording was the 2001 demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
-CD The Winter's Near. The band subsequently released their full-length album ...Beyond My Grey Wake in 2003. Both CDs were recorded at Temple of Noise studios, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy. The release of their debut full-length album was met by very favourable reviews from magazines including Vampire Magazine, Digital Metal and Metal Edge. Martyr Music Group stated "Early in the year (2003) How Like a Winter's debut CD ...Beyond My Grey Wake comes out and the response was simply phenomenal".
The band are currently working on new material.
Etymology
The band's name is taken from the first line of William Shakespeare's sonnetSonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
XCVII:- "How like a winter hath my absence been".
Members
- Dust − male vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, orchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus... - Agony − violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s - Tragedy − female vocals
- Misery − female vocals
- Bane − bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Mist − classical, acousticAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s