English black metal band Winterfylleth will release a 20th anniversary edition of Rising of the Winter Full Moon, the 2007 demo that started their journey, on February 27, 2027 via Resonance. The new edition adds two previously unreleased instrumental tracks from the original recording session, available on any format for the first time.
Pre-order from the band’s Bandcamp or from Resonance.
The release comes as a limited gatefold LP on 140g gold nugget swirl vinyl with an obi strip, and the first 50 copies include a signed item. The artwork has also been updated, replacing the original illustration with an archival photograph of the same view of Alderley Edge that inspired the first cover. The announcement lands during the week of the winter full moon, and reunites the band with the team that first signed them.
Five Songs, Not Three
“At the time of its recording, we actually captured five tracks during the session, rather than the three tracks that are more commonly recognised as the main release. Alongside ‘Mam Tor’ (The Shivering Mountain), ‘The Ghost Of Heritage’ and ‘Casting The Runes’, we also recorded an early version of ‘Forging The Iron Of England’, called ‘Wayland’s Smithy’ at the time, as well as an early version of the track ‘Defending The Realm’.”
Winterfylleth
The band calls the recordings “raw, cavernous and developmental,” but says fans have long asked for them. The demo first came out on vinyl for its 10th anniversary through Ulthar Records, and this edition is the most complete version of their early material ever assembled.
- Side A: Mam Tor (The Shivering Mountain), Casting The Runes, The Ghost of Heritage
- Side B: Wayland’s Smithy (Instrumental), Defending The Realm (Instrumental)
Twenty Years of English Black Metal
Formed in Manchester in 2006 and named after the Old English term for the winter full moon, Winterfylleth have become one of the UK’s leading atmospheric black metal bands, rooted in English history, folklore and landscape. Their 2008 debut The Ghost Of Heritage was followed by The Mercian Sphere, The Threnody Of Triumph, The Divination Of Antiquity, The Dark Hereafter, The Hallowing Of Heirdom, The Reckoning Dawn and The Imperious Horizon. Their ninth album, The Unyielding Season, came out via Napalm Records in March 2026 and reached number 21 in the UK charts. They won Best Underground Band at the 2015 Metal Hammer Golden Gods and have played Wacken, Hellfest, Roadburn and Bloodstock.
Our Take
Demo reissues usually appeal only to completists, but the two unheard instrumentals make this one worth more than nostalgia. Hearing early versions of songs that became album staples shows how fully formed Winterfylleth’s identity already was. It is a fitting celebration for a band that helped define a distinctly British take on black metal.
