### Frozen Dawn: The old prophecy of winterland

#### 17/05/11 || Khlysty

Spain’s Frozen Dawn claim that they play “pure old school black metal” and, much alike Immortal’s Blashyrkh, these guys have created their own imaginary playground, called Winterland (and here I could make some nasty jokes about “Wonderland” and the such, but I digress…), where the concepts of their songs are taken from.

So, okay, I really don’t give a rat’s ass if someone spent much more time that’s universally accepted as good for one’s mental balance and evolution playing D&D. This is a music site, goshdarn it, and it’s the music that I have to deal with. And it’s not half bad, as the band, instead of going for the usual carpet-bombing blast-and-tremolo-pick menu, chooses instead to go for a thrashy-styled take on black metal that’s pretty enjoyable to these ears.

Of course, this is supposed to be “pure old school black metal”, so there is quite a bit of blasts and more than enough tremolo-picking and howled raspy vocals. But the thrash elements –speed, precision, clearly-defined riffs- are obvious, as there are some detours into the world of (a bit blackened, y’know, medium-rare…) NWOBHM, which is a respite from what these ears have endured by other bands that also claim to play “pure old school black metal”.

Actually, as long as Frozen Dawn stays firmly within the realms of slightly-blackened thrash/NWOBHM, the record is fun to listen to, what with its soaring melodies and clearly-defined songs (although a bit a’ trimming here and there wouldn’t have hurt…). It’s when they try to do the black metal schtick that things get hairy, as for all the posturing and enunciations and eternal vows to darkness, they really don’t seem to have it in them. But, hey, these guys are from Madrid! I mean, how can one reach for grimm, frosty inspiration in a place like this, mostly sunny and mild-weathered?

Bottom line is that this is a pretty cool little record for fans of the more “normal” expressions of black metal. Even sporting a cover of Satyricon’s “Fuel For Hatred”, it’s not particularly nekro, grvmm, kvlt; what it is, though, is a nice listen that will easily be enjoyed by hardened black metal trolls and “normal” metalheadz alike. It’s not a reinvention of the wheel, but it’s pleasing to these ears and that’s what matters.

- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Mighty Hordes Productions
- Website: frozendawn.com
- Band
- Grinder: vocals, guitar
- Lord Morgoth: guitar, backing vocals
- Davinia: bass, backing vocals
- Arjan: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Cold Winds
- 02. Black Spells
- 03. The Order of the Wintermoon
- 04. Through the Gates of Hate
- 05. Cold Souls
- 06. Dark Lady
- 07. Calm before the Storm
- 08. Winds from the North
- 09. Frozen Dawn
- 10. The Old Prophecy of Winterland
- 11. Fuel for Hatred (Satyricon cover)