Only the Strong Will Survive

From the wintry depths of Tampere, Finland comes another promising Metal act: Frostborn. Even from three little songs, I am eager to both listen further and point as many Power-Prog fans as I can in their direction! There is a distinctly Finnish sound to Frostborn; I can't really explain it, but it's a certain sound or feel to Finnish Metal that, to be, at least is a really evident and welcome attribute! I found, however, that besides a unique flare, Frostborn also contained a more Power Metally quality than a lot of Finnish bands. This is most noticeable in Tommi Erkkliä's singing, which besides having a slight grit to it (seemingly contrary to their first demo), also has a wider vibrato to it and a generally more dramatic tone-with the exception of his accent, there's almost something typical of an Italian Power Metal singer, which is surprising but pleasant. I really like Erkkliä's vocals, so it's too bad that they are very low on the mix. I cannot fairly complain, since "Only the Strong Will Survive" is a demo, but still…I think these guys deserve better!

The other parts are fairly clearly produced-the drums and bass are particularly audible, which was great; Frostborn has an incredible sense of composition and melody, which is substantiated by an energetic and talented line-up. Guitar riffs and solos (Jarmo Mäkinen) are engaging, while the drums (Anssi Herkkola) and bass (Alois Weimer) rumble beneath. I particularly liked Chris Hopper's keyboards, since they were more low key and not the overwhelming synths that frequent Finland's Power Prog Scene (i.e. Stratovarius). Sure, those synth sounds have their place, but…it's not here, thankfully.

Also, the lyrics I found captivating. These too, have a very Finnish spirit to them, partially due to the strong connection to nature…Aside from that, there was a really narrative quality that I found neat-particularly on the first track. The words are sincere, magical and original, without any of the clichés of Metal.

The title cut opens-since the first time I heard it, this song keeps pushing its way to the front of the jukebox in my head… "Only the Strong Will Survive," has a ridiculously catchy riff that brings to mind folk music in a way-if you're ever in a bad mood, throw this on! It's just such a shame that Erkkliä's vocals are so hard to hear, sometimes… anyway, there's sort of a surprise ending that I really liked! Keep an ear out for that. "Farewell the Past" rushes in with furious double kick, a nice melody and some well placed keyboard stuff; this is another great song, followed by the finale, "Angel" which slows the pace down a bit. There's a synth part near the beginning that reminds me of those used in the Eurythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again," which was cool. Aside from that, the song, not to be outdone by the first two tracks, is also a beautiful piece of music. There's a slightly different tone to this one (which makes sense if you listen to the lyrics), proving that Frostborn is able to pull off different styles…

Well! A damned good demo. I wish these guys the best of luck and want to thank them for sending me their promo package! All of you Power-Prog heads (especially the Finnish ones) should support these guys!