The wave of frosty releases continues with the self-described ‘progressive black’n’roll’ band Frostbite composing melodic tails of the harsh Canadian winter.
[tracklist]
1. Ascending The Void
2. Sigil Seal
3. The Pest
4. Malleus
5. Through The Grave
6. Delayed Perception
7. Etching Obscurity
8. Shining
9. Soul Devourer
10. Forgotten Path
11. Erased From Existence
[/tracklist]
[details]
[record_label]Tmina Records[/record_label]
[release_date]5th February 2016[/release_date]
[/details]
So first thing’s first, we’re not so sure about that genre…progressive black’n’roll? That sounds more like a burnt cinnamon bun in an insurance office than a genre. Frostbite’s first musical impressions give off more a melodic death metal vibe here, but we are here to look at the effort that is ‘Etching Obscurity‘ rather than debate over the genre…we’ll do that at the pub later.
The album kicks off with a track under the name ‘Ascending the Void‘ to give us a taste of what is on offer hear. After a mild acoustic build up to introduce the melodic side and what notes and chords ‘Etching Obscurity‘ will build it’s premise around, the album bursts to life with ‘Sigil Seal‘ that promotes it’s full sound. The track plays around with running grungy chords and black metal style vocals in the vein of Windir, something that already had particularly impressed me.
The album experiments between different genres usually the precursor for a downfall, but in tracks like ‘Malleus‘ the transitions are pasted together with the established sound of a very grungy distortion, whether intentional or not, actually makes some of the music work to a very interesting ideal.
There is some very well written music here, but it also feels like there are a few happy accidents with production value which shoves the artistic value into question, tracks like ‘Etching Obscurity‘ are a prime example of this.
While there are a flurry of interesting elements on the album, it leaves it down to the listener whether it could be considered a piece of art or a holistic mess. Entertaining in places, but not consistent enough to grab a metalhead by the balls and say that the sound is going to own you, and you will listen to us for months to come.
[verdict]Maybe[/verdict]
[why]Interesting ideas, interesting songwriting, but let down by consistency and production. A buy for a metalhead who needs a good artistic fix.[/why]
