The excruciating cold is bearable, flickers of snow drop from the sky above, simply mesmerizing with their frosty beauty. I have always had a soft spot for the influential, even spiritual, equanimity of winter, a vision of white, such a calming sensation. Following the eternal frost lurking within my brainwaves, I came to remark the existence of a British Gothic Metal entity hailing from the West Midlands, which has been going by the name of WINTER STORM, such a suitably picked name for a band that contracts such a subzero feel. Formed in 2008, the band has been going on its own, issuing their material as self-released. Their sophomore, "Within The Frozen Design", is a continuance of their journey within the Gothic Metal realm, taking notes and points from gifted icons of the genre, with a few modern Rock / Metal filters and without an Operatic showcasing, such as EPICA, late THEATER OF TRAGEDY, STREAM OF PASSION, LEAVES' EYES, LACUNA COIL and TARJA among others.

For one thing, "Within The Frozen Design" led me to believe that WINTER STORM has been true both to their name along with this album's title. The general feel surrounding the release is shivery and artic. Doomsday's Keyboards and Synths' compositions provided this marvelously comfortable ambience, yet Wayne's guitar riffery, basically a coat of rudimentary ostinatos and phrases accompanied by frosty harmonics that entwined well with the keyboards, elevated the band's gelid clench. Basically the riffing led me through the Gothic Metal grooves but also blinked towards contemporary grooves, which weren't that bad. Hannah's voice isn't that common vocal type for this kind of music, but ultimately her mid low tones, with several higher notes along the way, intertwined with various harmonic enhancement, sounded just right and quite appealing. Listening to her additional role as lead guitarist, had me envisaging with myself. Most of her soloing depicted an amateurish routine of alternate picking, only a few, and there were a few in general, actually had flair in them like on "Universal Design" for instance, which even if not being special, it suited the song's needs. As far as Will's drumming goes, or Jamie's bass performance, both seemed adequate, however nothing implied of anything extraordinary.

Regarding the tracklist, there were occasions where I was caught in the web of the band's mysticism and atmospheric impact that is so soothing and grasping. The flowing blustery "Symmetric Flow", "Afraid To Speak" and "Gatekeeper" highlighting the wonderful association of the crunchy guitars, keyboards and vocal performance. The foremost element that made these shine is the captivating harmony shared between the roles. The song structures appeared rather guileless and relatively timid, and frankly I would have it any other way. The latter song, "Gatekeeper", transpired with possibly the best soloing performance of the entire release. I would suggest on listening this one in a cold darkened night and embrace its ethereal jolts. This is definitely a solid piece of artistically driven Gothic Metal, picturing the rightful scenery for its means and purpose.