''Into Darkness'' is the first and only full-length album of American

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

band

Winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

. The album was released in 1990 by Future Shock Records.The first CD re-issue by Nuclear Blast America (distributed by Relapse in the US) in 1992 had only the "Into Darkness" tracks. It was later re-issued by

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

as a

digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

with an altered front cover and the ''Eternal Frost'' EP as bonus tracks. The album was re-released again, with no bonus tracks, by Southern Lord on April 12, 2011, on black and white vinyl as a gate fold LP with booklet.

Style

Author JJ Anselmi said the vocals of John Alman on the album "sit somewhere between hardcore shouts and grindcore growls". The band utilized keys in their sound to create an atmospheric feel, which proved divisive among hardened death metal fans. However, Anselmi concluded that this would eventually become "another of the group's lasting contributions to funeral and death-doom".

Legacy

Many consider the album to be the first proper release in the death-doom subgenre. July 8, 2013: The Village Voice blogger Jason Roche lists ''Into Darkness'' as #14 in the top 20 hardcore and metal albums to come out of NYC. Decibel magazine ranked the album at #13 in the Top 100 Doom Metal Albums of All Time Special Issue.

Track listing

*All lyrics by Joe Goncalves. All music written and arranged by Winter.

Personnel

Winter *Jon Altman – vocals, bass *Stephen Flam – all guitars *Tony Pinnisi – keyboards *Joe Goncalves – drums Production *Produced by Greg Marchak and Winter

References

Winter (metal band) albums 1990 debut albums {{1990s-metal-album-stub