Winterfrost

There are cases when you don’t have to make a special effort to know what an album can offer to you and Forsth´s debut, explicitly called "Winterfrost", is a great example of this asseveration. You must simply take a look to the album cover and the song titles and you will realize what sort of sonic assault you are going to receive. Forsth’s first opus is a barbaric compilation of grim, feisty, and rude songs in the way that many other bands used to do in the mighty decade of the '90s. Do not expect elaborate songs or pretentious production, but only an epic masterpiece of raw, epic black metal as nowadays, unfortunately, can hardly be found.

"Winterfrost" is equally freak, rude, and epic, from the band's imagery to the lyrics themselves. Traditional black metal freakiness is represented without any shame; some people will hate it. I personally praise and love it, especially because this majestic album breathes this putrid fragrance of blood, death, and glory that I enjoy so much .Those characteristics are enhanced by the typically raw production with predominant fuzzy guitars that are overshadowed during many moments by the atmospheric keys that play an essential role in this album. Vocals are the anticipated abominable shrieks, obviously not the best ones I have ever listened to, but ones which suit perfectly well with the music and reinforce the sense of violence and rawness.

After the typical key intro, all the characteristic I have anticipated in the previous lines immediately appear. The song “Waldpfad” is the well-expected, straightforward tune combining crushing riffs and some keys. The tempo is quite changeful, flowing between the fast and mid-tempo sections that I personally appreciate because I find those relentlessly-fast albums quite boring.

Anyway, there are much better songs on this album like “Snowly Mountains” and “Wolfshowl In The Moonshinelight” (ahh, lovely freak titles). It is not a coincidence that the most inspired pieces are the ones which contain more relevant keys, which I must admit is the instrument that gives more points to this cd. Without it, “Winterfrost” could be quite a standard album. My favourite one is “Wolfshowl…” with this amazing intro: it is a quite simple atmospheric key, but it absolutely rules and adds a forceful sense of solemnity and darkness and is perfectly combined with the rawest parts.

As a curiosity, we find a totally different song called “Mit Den Gedanken Im Nordischen Altertum”, sung by a female singer and with a surprising happy mood. I personally like it, though I must admit that more than one fan will think that it is annoying or simply destroys the atmosphere of the album. It’s a matter of taste, of course.

In conclusion, all I can say about Forsth’s debut is that delivers exactly what it promises, perfectly-accomplished, powerful, and raw black metal generously adorned with those wonderful keys which carry you to the merciless battles of the past, nothing more and nothing less. Highly recommended for the frostbitten nights of the mighty winter.