review: Atavistia - melodic extreme metal from Canada

Atavistia

The Winter Way (Reforged)

Blood Blast Distribution

12 December 2025

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a mighty queen. There, in the land of Mal-ibu-Cal, she possessed an abundance of riches and a multitude of servants, with all the diamonds and crowns, jewels and palaces, and land and rivers that a monarch could desire. Yet, she remained unhappy. Her true poverty was not gold, but the one thing that she could never own for herself: time. She gazed upon the vast oceans and the sailors who served her, who smiled readily upon her sight, and she sang “If I could turn back time, if I could find a way, I’d take back..." her thoughts trailing into the distance of infinity, while the sailors looked at each other glad standing behind the presence of the queen.

Where the mighty queen failed, the band Atavistia succeeds. Atavistia has turned back time. They have found a way. They have taken back their regret. How did they achieve this bending of time? Before addressing that, we need to answer something else: What, or rather, who is Atavistia? This melodic death metal band is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the western side of Canada.

Back to the matter at hand: this album. In a time-warping move that would surely impress the queen of Mal-ibu-Cal in this story, Atavistia traveled back to 2020, took their original work from that year, and brought it forward to 2025 and recorded the entire album again. This is not, the band says, a remaster nor a remix of the 2020 album. They say that it is a total rebuild. "The Winter Way (Reforged) features new recordings, arrangements, modern production, and completely rewritten orchestral and atmosphere elements." It is a new recording of the album of the same name.

The music is a catchy blend of progressive, melodic, and grand death/black metal, which should appeal to fans of both melodic death metal and melodic black metal. Reviewers have often noted the band's epic and neosymphonic feel, drawing comparisons to groups like Wintersun. The vocals integrate traditional black metal and death metal growls with melodic singing. Instrumentally, the guitars and rhythm section work with elements from black metal, epic heavy metal, power metal, and shredding. While the 2020 album was certainly enjoyable, this new interpretation is a strong effort. I would agree with the band: start here. It is such a catchy and melodically compelling album that it serves as a great starting point into their discography.

The Winter Way (Reforged) by Atavistia