Snow falls. A world is transformed to a place of still life, yet its monochromatic beauty cannot be ignored. Snow crunches underfoot.

Chilling winds blow through the trees, warning you of Winter’s unforgiving ways. Your surroundings appear dead, but the landscape is only sleeping . . . waiting for the warmth of the sun to return.

Altus’ 11th solo album, Winter Embrace II, continues where the original left off. Slowly evolving over sixty minutes, themes and melodies are built to lull the listener to a state of deep thought and relaxation. Darker and lighter moments are interspersed amongst a consistent deep knell, perhaps the sound of ancient trees sleeping.

As with almost all his releases, the musical inspiration behind Altus is to appreciate and respect the natural world, and to enjoy what is all around us. It is too often that those living in a concrete jungle forget what a true breath of fresh air smells and tastes like.