King Fear is a relatively new project formed by Nachtgarm (of Negator, and recently filling in for Dark Funeral on vocals). Before this, their debut full length album, they had released only a single EP in 2012. Although there is a chill in their sound, they’re no way near as cold as I’d imagined them to sound when judging by their thickly applied corpse paint and album named ‘Frostbite’. Still, this does not take away from what they have actually achieved with this album. While still ringing with a decent amount of coldness when required, the band focus more on rumbling with a great swagger and pounding their vibe home with a fully rocking edge. Super xtreme kvltists might have to have a bit of a cry about it.
It certainly took me by surprise that King Fear don’t follow the same path of hundreds of others by going down the tried and tested route, and I was pleased with what they’ve set out to accomplish. Far from being “generic black metal band 1,224,666” – they actually dwell comfortably in the realms of ‘Volcano’ & ‘Now, Diabolical’ era Satyricon, as well as adding swathes of Khold’s bleak methodical plod in their simplistic yet effective outlook. There’s a double dose of black ‘n’ roll from time to time which takes on a similar edge to Abbath’s I project, something which allows the riffs to take pride of place. Let’s face it here; it’s usually riffs that help to make a band stand out. Thus, if you’re going to strip back the classic black metal sound and do something left of field with it; you better make sure you have the chops to do it. King Fear do, and they play it constantly as a trump card. Alongside a grooving drummer and sickeningly raspy vocals, it really does make for a winning combo. But it’s not all black ‘n’ roll, as King Fear are comfortable in their own skins to do what they please. There’s a lot of dissonant chords ringing out, jarring black metal riffage, but it’s all done in their own impressive style, pouring with melody, rhythm and panache.
Finally, and this is definitely worth mentioning; the album is a concept album. A concept album inspired by the history of mountaineering. Yes, you read that right. Their press release says it’s based on the “conquest of the useless – mankind’s possessive desire for reaching the highest mountain peaks”. Alrighty then. At least this explains where the album title comes from, and proves without a shadow of a doubt how much of an oddity this album is when sitting amongst others in the same genre. For those who aren’t afraid of something which isn’t forged from the same cookie cutter as the majority, King Fear might just make your week.
(7.5/10 Lars Christiansen)
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