Windswept | The Devil's Vertep | Season Of Mist: Underground Activists

Release Date: 12 December 2025

Format: Digital/CD/Vinyl

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Ukraine

Windswept began in 2016 as the spontaneous outlet of Roman Sayenko, the well known figure behind Drudkh, together with two long time collaborators. The idea was simple, straight to the point black metal created quickly, with sessions driven by instinct rather than long planning. Their early work, from “The Great Cold Steppe” to “The Onlooker”, carried that raw impulse. Each creation was built on fast writing and faster recording, something that gave the band a harsh and unvarnished identity. Over the years Windswept became the place where Sayenko could channel material that stood apart from his other bands, something more immediate and rooted in the early Ukrainian black metal spirit.

“The Devil’s Vertep” turns toward historical storytelling. Windswept draws directly from “The Black Book Of Kremenets Castle 1747 1777”, bringing to life the witch trials of Western Ukraine. The album moves through accusations, interrogations, forced testimonies and executions, all presented through six long compositions that stay close to the source material. Each title signals the chapter it represents. There is no romanticizing, the music stays true to the grim reality behind these events.

What gives the album a particular character is its connection to ideas Sayenko began forming in the late nineties. Sketches from an abandoned project, Kozlonogyi, resurface here after decades. Instead of turning this into nostalgia, Windswept treat those old threads as raw material. The result carries the atmosphere of early Eastern European black metal, direct, harsh and without decoration. The album’s production keeps everything straightforward. The recording and mixing at Viter Music preserve the rough edges and keep all elements close to the bone. Nothing is smoothed out, nothing is sweetened.

As a whole, “The Devil’s Vertep” stands as a grim walk through documented cruelty, shaped by a band that prefers instinct over comfort. The music stays grounded, driven by pressure and tension, always pushing forward. The score reflects an album that reaches its goal with honesty and commitment to its concept, even if its approach may be too uncompromising for some listeners. It is a strong entry in Windswept’s path, and one that deepens their identity without breaking from what they represent.

Score: 7.5

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