Review: Windswept – The Devil’s Vertep

Review by Jeger

Windswept – The Devil’s Vertep

Record Label: Season of Mist Underground Activists

Year: 2025

Rating: 9/10

Drudkh visionary and Hate Forest founder, Roman Saenko has also had his hands full with his Windswept project that was forged in 2017, and that has also released two, soon to be three LPs with their latest, “The Devil’s Vertep”, having been scheduled for a December 12 release via Season of Mist: Underground Activists. The UABM Scene: Nokturnal Mortum, Bergrizen, Drudkh, Hate Forest and now Windswept. A proud institution of Black Metal is the scene, and our friend Roman happens to be the prominent Artist within that development. He’s come under fire over the years for a couple of reasons; mainly for dedicating 2006’s “Blood in Our Wells” to Stepan Bandera – a known Nazi collaborator. But the song – of course – was not dedicated to him for that reason, but for his stance/accomplishments within the realm of Ukrainian Nationalism. But we’re not here for any of that. Tonight, we delve into the sphere of Ukrainian Witchcraft and Daemonology. The sphere of lore and the mystification of the townsfolk. Ancient evils breathe this night! Put down your rifles and take up your swords, for only forged steel shall prevail the dawn…

This is literally what Black Metal is supposed to be about, what it is supposed to sound like – lyrically rooted in evil – sonically steeped in the essence of black purity. Black Metal that’s formulated to rival the Norse greats: Taake, Ulver and Gehenna is what we have in “The Devil’s Vertep”, only teeming with darker energy. Something along the lines of “Under the Sign of Hell” era Gorgoroth. Conceptually, for “The Devil’s Vertep”, Roman cracks open the Black Book of Kremenets Castle: 1747 – 1777 – Witch trial records, thus integrating various testimonies and accounts into the album’s lyrics, from the initial discovery of a newborn’s corpse, to the accusations, the testimonies, the confessions and finally the sentences.

It’s been stated that “The Devil’s Vertep” is a rawly produced piece. I have to disagree. While the recording sessions were done live with little preparation, the sound is pure. Not clear or sanitized, but pure as blood and textured like layers of velvet. A rich sonic tapestry to relay Black Metal of historical importance. We’ve got six tracks here, 42 minutes worth of no-filler, no bullshit Black Metal. The atmosphere in the opening track, “Infanticide”, is turbulent, urgent and alive. Simply the guitars and drums to radiate all of the atmosphere you could ask for. A compositional specimen! Expect to hear dramatic yet smooth shifts in tempo, intelligently segmented passages and a myriad of varying rhythms, from martial to flamboyant. The following track, “Investigation” hits at the gut level. Heavy with the grime and slow with the chugs – a contrast to the preceding cut until the pace picks up towards the end before more of those Doom-lavishing riffs ensue.

This is why AI will never replace the human element. When music is played with passion and with a genuine love of creating, the energy is wholesome and organic; rousing up from the recesses of the mind feelings of melancholy and sadness, invigoration and engrossment. Did I mention Taake? Okay, because that vibe is heavy. “The Devil’s Vertep” delivers the same levels of complexity in melodicism and the same earthy feel. It’s baffling how an Artist can create something so complex and yet so simple at the same time. With “The Devil’s Vertep”, Windswept has bestowed upon us a dual-faceted piece that will surely make this band’s talents known, all the while as the music casts BM in such an appropriate light. Little twists and turns like the whimsicality of the midway point of “The Potion” keep you guessing as livelier riffs and more experimental rhythms are incorporated.

Ignorance is dangerous… Just as surely as we will kill a bunch of Great White Sharks following an attack on a human, so too shall we hunt the Witch, or create one out of an innocent woman if we have to. “The Devil’s Vertep” is a brilliant account of the Kremenets Castle trials and it happens to be packaged in 100% genre-conservative Black Metal that proudly raises the flag for Ukraine. Roman Saenko continues to solidify his role as one of BM’s most important Artists, and so long as Artists such as himself continue down the pathway of trueness, we can rest assured that the future will foster integrity for the genre, despite all of its many challenges. So, grab a torch or a pitchfork! It’s time to round these broads up and tie ‘em to a stake… “The Devil’s Vertep” – True Ukrainian Black Metal through and through. Another stellar accomplishment out of Windswept.