ARTIST: Graveland
TITLE: Celtic Winter
STYLE: Pagan Viking Black Metal
FORMAT: CD
LABEL: Warheart / Red Stream
The Celtic Winter stands as the apex of early GRAVELAND, a cold and hostile monument of Polish Black Metal that still cuts deep more than three decades after its original 1994 release. This remastered re-issue resurrects one of the genre’s most influential underground recordings — an evil, epic, and menacing weapon of a record forged during the band’s purest Black Metal era. Following the blasphemous assault of In the Glare of Burning Churches, The Celtic Winter pushes deeper into darkness with raw yet balanced production, sharpened riffcraft, and an atmosphere soaked in ancient hatred and pagan triumph. The guitars carve out long, hypnotic passages of frostbitten melody, the drums hammer forward with primitive force, and the vocals echo like invocations from a forgotten age. Every track feels like a ritual — hostile, cold, and unwavering in its conviction. This release embodies the spirit of the “true”: uncompromising Black Metal driven by honor, tradition, and the grim determination of the early Polish underground. The remaster preserves the rawness while giving the recording new clarity, allowing the epic structures and sinister aura to strike even harder.
A cornerstone of 90s Black Metal — The Celtic Winter remains one of GRAVELAND’s most essential works, a timeless document of evil atmosphere and ancient power.
TRACK LIST:
I
1 Prolog 3:19
2 The Gates To The Kingdom Of Darkness - Intro 0:58
3 Intro 2:44
4 The Night Of Fullmoon 5:32
5 Call Of The Black Forest 4:24
6 Hordes Of Empire 4:39
7 The Gates To The Kingdom Of Darkness 5:47
8 The Return Of Funeral Winds 7:50
II
9 Prolog (Alternative Version) 2:36
10 The Gates To The Kingdom Of Darkness - Intro (Alternative Version) 0:59
11 Intro (Alternative Version) 2:56
12 Call Of The Black Forest (Alternative Version) 4:23
13 Hordes Of Empire (Alternative Version) 4:39
14 The Gates To The Kingdom Of Darkness (Alternative Version) 5:46
15 The Return Of Funeral Winds (Alternative Version) 2:58
16 Call Of The Black Forest (Alternative Version) 4:24