Vintersorg

Odemarkens Son (Napalm)
by Martin Popoff

Billed as “Sweden’s only folk-heavy metal band,” Vintersorg are basically stormy, snowy Viking metal designed for those who cock their ear to the brief clean vocal bits found within Dimmu Borgir and Borknagar. The tone, emotion and temperature is all black metal, but the actual music is very commercial black crossed with power and Gothic. Add to this the dominant clean vocal and the fact that all of it is sung in Swedish and you’ve got a strange goat indeed. Consider this a record that creaks open the door to black metal for those who like the chill on the breath and the sound of hooves but not the overbearing speed and harsh vokills. Third release after an EP called Hedniskhjarted in ’97 and a full-length called Till Fjalls in ’98.
(POB 382 Bremerton, WA 98337)