It was anybody’s guess if we in the metal world receive another offering from Norway’s Frosthardr. After a demo and two EPs, there was always hope for something more. Their last EP in 2007, Varg, was of course a great listen.
And them, 11 years later and seemingly out of nowhere, a new Frosthardr track appeared. The YouTube video for the song “Devastation” was followed by an announcement that a full-length album was ready for release on the 1st of December this year and even featured guitar solos from Larry Farkas of Vengeance fame!
We here at The Metal Onslaught are happy to share with you our review of this exciting new release! Looking for something extreme and heavy… then continue on below, brothers and sisters in metal!
“Tordendrønn” – And so it begins. An opening track pulls the listener in with a dissonant collections of sounds creating anticipation for what is about to follow!
“Devastation” – Here comes the frost! The instrumental track quickly gives way to a blistering assault. It’s probably a good thing I was sitting down when this one started because it’s got a velocity carried by some catchy riffs that will hit the listener hard. Devastation is a song that points some fingers, but not at everyone else, instead it calls for self-accountability.
“Varg” – This is a song you may be familiar with from before. An instant blackened metal classic! This song carries a brutal low end brought forth by amazing percussion and bass, so it REALLY thumps! The lyrics are hauntingly beautiful in any language though this particular track is in Norwegian:
Østenfor fjell East of the Mountains
Høres atter lengsels hyl Howls of Yearning Sounds Again
Det lyder som vakker sang It Sounds Like Beautiful Song
Enn så sørgmodig Yet so Mournful
“Ormebol” – Another song that well represents and embodies frost-driven wintery metal! One of my favorite details of this song is how well the guitars are layered, showing a strong production value. Four songs in and it is without a doubt, one of the best extreme metal releases you’ll be able to pick up this year!
“Plunder” – A song that shreds yet also has an anthemic feel to it, complete with group (sometimes called “gang”) vocals pushing the heaviness of the album into new depths.
“The Battle” – I really hope you had a chance to strap on your sword and armor during that last song because it’s time for battle! This headbanger is exactly what you would expect from a battle song. This metal tune has a serious groove to it! I love the musical breaks throughout this PERFECTLY executed song.
“Identity Denied” – This track starts a bit darker, a bit slower, but still has its teeth. In fact, it might even be the heaviest song up this point. If you couldn’t hear the agony of pain and betrayal in the music itself, then the lyrics leave no room for doubt that this tune comes from a ripped-out heart longing to “fly above the darkened clouds high above”. The harrowing scream towards the end of the track begs to understand the meaning of the pain in these lyrics:
“I’ve tried to escape, away, away. But you have torn my wings off”
A soulful guitar solo leads this nine-minute track to its terminus. Pretty amazing actually.
“Warmachines” – I love the drive and timing of Warmachines. There’s a definite nod to classic thrash as Frosthardr articulately blisters through this intense protest against the war-machines humanity has known in the present and throughout the centuries. It also features one of the coolest guitar solos I’ve heard in recent times!
“Siste Sukk” – Easily one of the best songs on the album as there are so many elements that bring this together. Don’t let the clean tones of the acoustic guitar at the beginning of this track fool you. It absolutely shreds as it ushers in the feel of winter, or in my case, our actual first snow of the season started as I reached this point in my first listen of this album!
Hvert et vann – Each and Every Lake
vil ligge islagt – Will be Frozen Over
Hvert et fjell – Every Mountain
blir dekket av snø – Covered with Snow
Kuldens vind – Once Again,
vil atter hyle – The Winds of the Frost Will Howl
I vinterstormens – In the Savage Rage
ville raseri – Of the Winter Storm
“Destination” – There is no better way to end this album than with the song, Destination. It’s theme of course, is that of a “final” destination. Starting with some ambient sounds and giving way to a hammering rhythm section, it breaks into a groove that equally thumps and crushes.
I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into this. I knew it was going to be good, but I didn’t realize that the only fair rating I can give, is 9 out of 10!
If you are a fan of extreme blackened metal in the classic sense, but with great production quality, this album is an essential part of your collection. If you want a blistering cold masterpiece, look no further.
JR Rife 9/10 (The Metal Onslaught) 2018