Swedish Bands To Deliver The Goods In February

Two very different sounding bands, both hailing from Sweden, are set to release new albums this February.

First out of the gate is Grimner, a folk metal band from Motala. They play a style similar to Månegarm while adding their own unique elements. 'Frost Mot Eld', which was released in 2016 was easily one of my favourite albums of that particular year. 'Vanadrottning' will be available on February 9, 2018.

Stockholm's Necrophobic will be dropping their new album on February 23rd, 2018. Titled 'Mark Of The Necrogram', it promises to be a proficiently solid blackened death metal release. This is one band that hasn't managed to achieve much recognition, but has none-the-less put out some fantastic albums. With nearly five years in between albums, I'm certainly looking forward to this one.

Grimner - Frost Mot Eld Review

Track Listing

1. Res Er Mina Söner
2. Eldhjärta
3. Normännens Raseri
4. Enhärjarkväde
5. Midgård Brinner
6. Vargarnas Tid
7. Mörkets Hem
8. Etter och Flammor
9. Muspelheims Härskare
10. Frost Mot Eld

Sweden has over the years proven to be a hotbed for metal of all types. Some of the best folk metal comes from Sweden and emerging artist, Grimner, is no exception. Formed in 2008, with their first full length release ‘Blodshymner’ coming in 2014, Grimner are relative unknowns ready to burst onto the scene. Grimner offer everything one could want in a folk metal band, conveying a sense of paganism evident in both the music and the band’s imagery. With a sound similar to bands such as Finntroll and Månegarm, yet uniquely their own, Grimner have released one hell of an album. 

‘Frost Mot Eld’ is inspired by Ragnarök which, put in simplistic terms, is the end of world of the old Norse gods. With lyrics sung entirely in Swedish, and the perfect melding of clean and harsh vocals, Grimner have created a refreshing folk metal album. “Res Er Mina Söner” opens with a sense of calm before the storm, quickly bursting into a more up-tempo track backed by a memorable flute melody. In fact, flutes are evident throughout much of the album, adding a unique touch to many of the songs. The pieces of ‘Frost Mot Eld’ flow together seamlessly, at times light and uplifting and at other times brutal and harsh.  The Swedish bagpipes in “Vargarnas Tid” provide a background of melancholic darkness to the track evoking emotions of hope fading away. The pace changes multiple times throughout the album, much like the emotions brought forth by the lyrical content and careful use of various instruments and vocal techniques. 

The story woven throughout ‘Frost Mot Eld’ is one of battle, one of hope and lost hope, one of acceptance of fate, and one of finality. It is a journey that feels as though it were woven by the Norns, telling a narrative of the end of days set to some truly evocative, brooding, and at times, jovial, melodies. 

Best tracks: Vargarnas Tid, Eldjärta, Frost Mot Eld

Grimmer - Mörkets Hem Video

The band writes on their Facebook page:

Brothers and sisters!Before we go on tour, out of the blue comes our new music video, the second video from "Frost Mot Eld"! This time it is a visual adaptation of the song "Mörkrets Hem" (Home of Darkness), which tells of an ancient creature, awakened in its tomb by a trespasser. This creature is a draugr, ancient beings of evil, greedily guarding their threasures and killing anyone who comes close. We hope you will never fall victim to one of them...

Grimner has created an album that is easily a contender for one of my favourites of 2016, and 'Mörkets Hem' is the latest song to be accompanied by a video.  The video certainly does the description justice, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the song.