Vinterbris – Solace
Triton’s Orbit
Release Date: Out Now
Review By: Dave Griffiths
Right now is a great time to be into melodic metal, hot on the back of Hour Of Anguish’s new album vying for ‘Album Of The Year’ honors, comes the release of those Norwegian black metallers Vinterbris’ latest album Solace. And again… it’s a beauty.
While sticking to their black metal roots Vinterbris add an exciting new sound and feel with Solace and it hits you straight away as the album kicks off with the atmospheric Dysphoria which begins with a pure acoustic (almost folk metal) sound that is then brutally attacked with a hardcore black metal sound despite the minimal amount of lyrics.
It’s here that Vinterbris hit their straps – Ash Alight explodes into life with drumming so intense it feels like your speakers are trying to fight back. The onslaught continues with the brutal Fathoms, a track that is sure to have those who love their metal pure and heavy salivating like a rabid dog.
The melodic sound of Vinterbris is there for all to hear on The Aurora Of Despair, but the album doesn’t lose its edge as a result. The track is made even better by some amazing guitar work from Fran Ramirez and some sensational guttural screams from Henrik Skar. The same amazing musicianship continues through with Gazing At A Fallen Sky while the album’s final track – Euphoria –reaches great heights with minimal lyrics but some amazing atmospheric instrumental sections.
Often when a band says they are melodic, the melody side of things still gets forgotten. That certainly isn’t the case for Vinterbris. They certainly have the death metal side of things down pat with the amazing work of Henrik Skar, while the melody sifts through this album even with some slower acoustic parts coming to the fore. Scandinavia can’t go wrong this year… this is another fantastic release from the lands of ice and snow.
