Winds Of Tragedy still bleeds.
Created in 2021 in Chile by Sergio González Catalán (vocals/guitar/bass/keyboards), the musician called upon the Portuguese drummer Emidio Ramos (Asasara, Rådarna, ex-Dark Oath…) to record his first album the following year, then an EP, and finally Hating Life, his second full-length, announced for 2023 by Tragedy Productions and Meuse Music Records.
The album starts with the melancholic Living a Lie, a composition letting some soothing and airy sounds prepare us for this icy and oppressive wave of pessimism accompanied by raw screams. The atmosphere is heavy, letting the rhythmic crush us while the vocalist pours his rage out to only be interrupted by a minimalist break, then a burst of rage explodes again before I Choose to Die takes over, coupling darkness and haunting sounds. Doom influences weigh the rhythm down, allowing leads to reveal heady dissonant tones, then the sound cuts off to suddenly accelerate, finally letting Hating Life, the eponymous track, offer its Old School roots coupled with a majestic atmosphere. Piercing leads slip into this unfathomable cloud before the rhythmic becomes more aggressive and heavy while guiding us to No Reason to Go On and its soothing introduction. The mood is still quite gloomy, and the rhythmic arrival will only accentuate this heartbreaking sadness, even when screams appear in the haunting and heady mix which will become more energetic when Wake Me Up From This Act starts, allowing lively drumming to cohabit with melancholic violins. The track remains very constant, then calms down before offering us once again a burst of morbid energy before giving way to Death Love, which offers both the softest melodies and the most oppressive vocal parts. The track’s contrast makes it fascinating as the rhythmic continuously stomps, letting vocals bring that unhealthy touch broken by the keyboards, but saturated riffs take over again and they lead us to Remember We Died, the last track, which sounds immediately more solemn and heavier in the company of more joyful leads. With its Funeral Doom influences overshadowed by Black Metal roots, this track is undeniably the most oppressive of the album, even when drums will offer the rhythmic an energetic touch to flood us until the last moments.
With Hating Life, Winds Of Tragedy offers us a slice of raw and sincere existence, which continuously feeds a heavy and melancholic atmosphere, barely letting us glimpse hope in the softest elements.
90/100