Frosthardr - Frosthardr (95/100)
Dec 15, 2018 19:45:27 GMT -6
Thomas Eversole, Deepfriar, and 1 more like this
Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2018 19:45:27 GMT -6
Frosthardr - Frosthardr
Year: 2018
Genre: Black Metal
Twenty-one years after the band's inception, Frosthardr's "debut album" is finally here! This is a release I've been anticipating for years. I'm fairly sure the recording and production were either finished or almost finished by 2015 when a pre-release of this album was published, but I was unable to obtain a copy of it. Not sure what took so long for the final release, but I'm glad that it is here at last.
Frosthardr's sound is still quite similar to the 2004 EP Maktesløs - ferocious black metal with wonderful riffs, occasionally slowing down for a doomier section and generally influenced by old-school metal. The production is quite crisp and every component of the music is easily heard. Although this isn't necessarily ideal for every black metal band (Départe's album was not what it could have been due to high production, for example), I think it works well for Frosthardr's style where the guitars are the centerpiece. The old-school influences really show themselves in the riffs. Though I wouldn't label this music black/thrash metal, the feeling of it tends to flip between thrash and black, though the core of the music itself remains black throughout the album...if that makes sense.
Most of the tracks are dynamic, changing pace and feeling to keep things interesting. They'll go from slower to faster sections, thrashy riffs to blazing tremolo accompanied by blastbeating. The variety is what keeps things interesting for me. The songs all contain the same general style but don't really blend together. "Identity Denied" sticks out a bit from the rest because it is longer, slower, and doomier. For that reason I actually think it's my least favorite, although I suppose it is a nice break from the normal sound, and it's placed in the middle of the album.
There's not much atmosphere here but it doesn't need it. The noisy intro and outro of "Destination" is nice, as well as the acoustic guitars in "Siste Sukk" and "Identity Denied". They add some good variety and I certainly appreciate them, but Frosthardr didn't really need to do anything for atmosphere.
This is a fantastic album overall and I only have a few minor complaints. First is the vocals. They are generally good but seem to be a little weak every now and then. My favorite example is at the beginning of "The Battle" (which is a GREAT song) when the vocalist croaks out, "Come on!" rather weakly. Second is the lyrics. I don't usually care much about lyrics in CBM as long as they're God-honoring, but "Destination" says that salvation or damnation is "the result of your choices" (notice the plural) which is just not an accurate picture of the gospel. I get that English isn't the band's first language, but care should be taken to avoid error on important matters. Lastly, "Varg" was recycled from the 2007 EP. It's a great song for sure, but after eleven years, I was hoping for entirely new material.
This really is a wonderful album that I recommend to all black metal fans.
95/100
-CrimsonWarrior
Buy it from Nordic Mission:
www.nordicmission.net/en/products/frosthardr-frosthardr-cd
Buy it from Metal Helm:
metalhelm.com/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&cPath=1&products_id=1532
Year: 2018
Genre: Black Metal
Twenty-one years after the band's inception, Frosthardr's "debut album" is finally here! This is a release I've been anticipating for years. I'm fairly sure the recording and production were either finished or almost finished by 2015 when a pre-release of this album was published, but I was unable to obtain a copy of it. Not sure what took so long for the final release, but I'm glad that it is here at last.
Frosthardr's sound is still quite similar to the 2004 EP Maktesløs - ferocious black metal with wonderful riffs, occasionally slowing down for a doomier section and generally influenced by old-school metal. The production is quite crisp and every component of the music is easily heard. Although this isn't necessarily ideal for every black metal band (Départe's album was not what it could have been due to high production, for example), I think it works well for Frosthardr's style where the guitars are the centerpiece. The old-school influences really show themselves in the riffs. Though I wouldn't label this music black/thrash metal, the feeling of it tends to flip between thrash and black, though the core of the music itself remains black throughout the album...if that makes sense.
Most of the tracks are dynamic, changing pace and feeling to keep things interesting. They'll go from slower to faster sections, thrashy riffs to blazing tremolo accompanied by blastbeating. The variety is what keeps things interesting for me. The songs all contain the same general style but don't really blend together. "Identity Denied" sticks out a bit from the rest because it is longer, slower, and doomier. For that reason I actually think it's my least favorite, although I suppose it is a nice break from the normal sound, and it's placed in the middle of the album.
There's not much atmosphere here but it doesn't need it. The noisy intro and outro of "Destination" is nice, as well as the acoustic guitars in "Siste Sukk" and "Identity Denied". They add some good variety and I certainly appreciate them, but Frosthardr didn't really need to do anything for atmosphere.
This is a fantastic album overall and I only have a few minor complaints. First is the vocals. They are generally good but seem to be a little weak every now and then. My favorite example is at the beginning of "The Battle" (which is a GREAT song) when the vocalist croaks out, "Come on!" rather weakly. Second is the lyrics. I don't usually care much about lyrics in CBM as long as they're God-honoring, but "Destination" says that salvation or damnation is "the result of your choices" (notice the plural) which is just not an accurate picture of the gospel. I get that English isn't the band's first language, but care should be taken to avoid error on important matters. Lastly, "Varg" was recycled from the 2007 EP. It's a great song for sure, but after eleven years, I was hoping for entirely new material.
This really is a wonderful album that I recommend to all black metal fans.
95/100
-CrimsonWarrior
Buy it from Nordic Mission:
www.nordicmission.net/en/products/frosthardr-frosthardr-cd
Buy it from Metal Helm:
metalhelm.com/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&cPath=1&products_id=1532