Winter Hell is the name of a three-piece indie rock outfit that hails from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. ‘Blood of Love’ is taken from their debut EP ‘An Exercise in Joy’, and it sounds like probably one of the best things I will get to hear in 2023. 

At its core, the song is an entirely indie affair, from the quirky, spacey production, to the pounding, robotic drum part, the noisy, screeching riffs, and melodic bass. Blood of Love’s arrangement is multi-faceted, with a verse that’s chiller and more introspective, with eerie spatial effects that sound like flittering specters in the largely haunted space behind the aggressive vocals, which are treated with dense reverb, giving the idea of aggressive singing a whole different effect that was honestly startling, but terrific. The choruses are more focused and feature the aggressive vocals now singing a semi-coherent melody that sounds agonized and just awesome. The vocal deliveries and intentions on Blood of Love are unique and exhilarating, matching the amazing inventiveness of the guitar parts, and the production direction.

Winter Hell’s debut EP is entirely awesome, heralding the coming of a brand new band with something quite new and fresh to add to the table. ‘Blood of Love’ is a good enough introduction to the band’s unprecedented sound, but if you take my recommendation, you’ll give the whole EP a spin, and you’ll not be disappointed.