One of the best indicators that you’ve discovered an utterly tremendous album is when you find yourself listening to it over and over again, never tiring of it, and an album that album that absolutely falls into this category is the tremendous new album from Grimner, Frost Mot Eld. Although Grimner’s past releases are brilliant, Frost Mot Eld feels like it’s on a whole different level – quite simply, it’s jaw-droppingly good. The songwriting is top-notch, the musical performances are both passionate and tight, and the flow from start to finish can’t be faulted. What more can you want from an album?
Frost Mot Eld is perhaps the most melodic release from Grimner so far (discounting their acoustic EP), featuring more flutes and clean vocals than prior releases, and although it’s a largely subtle change to their sound, it really works. There’s plenty of big sing-along choruses, such as the one on their previously-released single Eldhjärta and album closer Frost Mot Eld, which juxtapose fantastically with the prominent harsh vocals, and it’s difficult not to want to sing along at the top of your voice to it all.
It’s not a surprise that Grimner chose to debut Midgård Brinner in a live environment, as well as release the studio version as a single prior to the album’s release, because it is certainly one of the strongest tracks on the album. As well as sounding like a song tailor-made for being played live (in the words of a friend, “it’s so bouncy!”) it also packs a real punch in its studio-recorded version and the sheer amount of drive and movement the song has is incredible. Another highlight of the album is Mörkrets Hem, a song that will surely be rattling around your head for days on end afterwards – it’s nigh-on impossible to listen to it without whistling along to the flute line and singing along to the wildly catchy chorus!
Frost Mot Eld comes to a triumphant end with the title track, which works as the perfect epic closer to the album, bringing everything together for one last aural assault. The bagpipes in the introduction work well at setting the atmosphere before the track gets underway and the sheer power and emotion behind the harsh vocals is stunning, especially when coupled with the hammering drums beneath – and just wait until you hear the chorus! Spine-tinglingly good stuff.
As a whole, it doesn’t feel like there’s anything that can be faulted with Frost Mot Eld. It just has everything you could possibly want from an album – it’s catchy, well-performed and so addictive that you can’t just listen to it once. One word seems appropriate to sum it up completely – wow!
10/10
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