Ukrainian black metal band WINDSWEPT have unveiled the second track from their fourth studio album, "A Sign of the Cloven Hoof", due for international release on September 25 via PRIMITIVE REACTION. Titled ‘Thieves of the Stars’, the song follows the previously released ‘Buried Face Down’ as the album’s second preview.

WINDSWEPT, which Roman Saenko continues as a creative outlet alongside his work with DRUDKH, HATE FOREST and other projects, draw on Ukrainian demonology and the early stories of Mykola Gogol for their new album. While the band combines this thematic foundation with the cold, austere black metal approach that has characterized its previous work, "A Sign of the Cloven Hoof" also explores new avenues of expression through longer-form compositions.

Two of the album’s tracks exceed the ten-minute mark across its approximately 35-minute runtime. The 11-minute opener, ‘Behind the Masks of Piety’, is the clearest example of this approach, particularly in its second half, where WINDSWEPT expand their customary intensity into a heavier, more atmospheric form of expression. Elsewhere on the album, the band retains the stripped-down and hard-edged character of its music despite this broader scope.

At 8:29, the newly released ‘Thieves of the Stars’ stands among the album’s longer compositions. Alongside the new track, the previously released ‘Buried Face Down’ also offers an early glimpse into the album’s overall approach.

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In 2024, WINDSWEPT joined forces with PRIMITIVE REACTION for the release of the mini-album "Der eine, wahre König". "A Sign of the Cloven Hoof" now marks the band’s fourth album and its latest release under that partnership, arriving internationally on September 25.

The album’s tracklist is as follows:

  1. ‘Behind the Masks of Piety’ — 11:01

  2. ‘Goat-footed’ — 5:58

  3. ‘Buried Face Down’ — 4:43

  4. ‘Thieves of the Stars’ — 8:29

  5. ‘Towards the Abandoned Church’ — 4:52

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