Any death metal artisan worth his or her salt knows Sweden's death metal sphere spewed forth some of the finest albums the genre has ever released; it should be common knowledge by this point. Among the classic legacies and triumphs of At The Gates, Grave, Entombed, Dismember, Necrophobic et al. rests a plethora of forgotten fossils lost in the deluge of time. God Macabre's "The Winterlong," the band's first and only record released in 1993, though largely forgotten, maintained its status as a lost gem among the other widely-acclaimed opuses that overshadowed it. The short but sweet legacy of God Macabre tastes fresh and valid many years after its birth, even rivaling the grander outputs of several of its stylistic siblings in grades of texture and design. It is a stunning, stunning piece of death metal; complex and varied, yet unyielding and intricate. "The Winterlong" boasts slow, melancholic passages within the gloomy atmosphere that wouldn't sound out of place on an early Amorphis release and mellotron sections that add atmospheric depth to the band's many masks. God Macabre's style is clearly extraordinary, one that naturally sways from excellent riffs to memorable choruses and despondent harmonies-perfect examples include "Ashes of Mourning Life" and "Into Nowhere." The growling vocals and performances are equally energetic and enticing; God Macabre sounds raw and animated. Originally released in 1993, The Winterlong was recorded at Stockholm's legendary Sunlight Studios in 1991 and engineered by Tomas Skogsberg (Amorphis, At The Gates, Entombed). Now fully remastered and available for the first time in over 10 years, The Winterlong reissue also contains four bonus tracks, including the band's original 7" demo from 1990 plus the never-before-heard track, "Life's Verge", the first new God Macabre recording in over 20 years.