Blutfrost

Arising out of the ashes of the German Northern Blood and the current one-man Vinterforest is this Scandinavian-influenced, true black metal masterpiece (no keys, symphonic, female or clear vocals). This dark, raw yet melodic, guitar-driven full-length is by far one of the most excellent black metal debuts ever made. It has a relentless true black metal feel, is easily one of the top 2 CDs of 2009 for the genre, and ranks in my all time top 10 of the best 1000 black metal CDs ever made (1980s +).

Every track on this CD (except the intro) has memorable riffing and moving, rasping vocals throughout that far surpass the best for the genre. The bass, drums, guitar and vocals are exceptional and perfectly fit together for each track. The entire CD jacket theme is a frosty white and gray frozen water body in winter with leaf-free deciduous forests on the water edges that really fit the Northern, frozen sound of the entire CD.

Blutfrost is typical of the highest quality productions from the Christhunt label over the last 10 years, the label that brought us other German bands like Odal and Creature. Anybody who likes the overall sound and feel of bands in the veins of early Blodsrit/Portal (Swe), Sargeist, Satanic Warmaster, early Calvarium, or Hammer (Fin) will find this entire CD perhaps surpasses all of the highest quality tracks from all these bands' CDs.

If you like the raw, guitar-driven melodicism and vocals of these bands mixed with the guitars of Dissection and Suhnopfer you will definitely want to hear this CD. A nearly perfect LP with the exception of the intro track and the middle of the last track, which would have worked better for me as an outro track—99%.