Midwinter is a newcomer Black Metal band from Germany. "Astral Mirrors is their first album after a demo they had done 4 years ago. It is a little rare to see a Black Metal band from Germany and Midwinter are a pleasant surprise.
Midwinter play Melodic Black Metal and the band's atmosphere is not based only on the melancholic keyboards, but also on the fierce guitars which sound sharp and heavy. Mordan's voice sounds sometimes like Abbath's and sometimes like Gunther Theys'. The keyboards generate a very dark atmosphere and sometimes are a little melancholic. In my opinion some of their influences may be Immortal and Ancient but with more keyboards.
In some of their songs the atmosphere is too dark and too evil and it makes you feel that every step you make is being watched and that someone is lurking in the shadows that surround you. In some other songs the atmosphere is a little more melancholic and less dark than the rest.
There seems to be a problem with them though. Their mid-tempo songs are a little tiring and many of their songs are too long and wear out the listener. Sometimes in a couple of songs the keyboards are too childish and seem as they haven't been worked as much as they should.
However, "Astral Mirrors is a good album and will satisfy the fans of Melodic Black Metal. If they work on their music, their next album will be much better. Midwinter did a nice try with their debut album. I hope that in the future they will write better music.