Cold, crisp melodic black metal here from this Bergen-based troupe, the crystalline-clear chilliness seeming to embody the windswept coastal city from which they hail. ‘Solace’ is the embodiment of a band with firm ideas of how they wish to sound – from the glittering acoustic guitar strums that open ‘Dysphoria’ the closing chimes of ‘Euphoria’, Vinterbris deliver a focussed, concise lesson in delivering tight, frenetic black metal with a heightened sense of melody.
In this, they have a lot in common with Swedish legends Dissection – the frantic pace (that never threatens to run out of control), the stirring lead-lines and frontman Henrik Skarr’s vocals that are uncannily similar to the late Jon Nodtveidt’s throat-contortions. Indeed, the 8-minute plus gallop-and-chug of ‘The Aurora of Despair’ could almost be a lost track from Dissection’s ‘Storm of the Light’s Bane’ with its insistent stomp and howling sense of drama.
It’s not the real highlight here though and this is a testament to Vinterbris’s skill at adding deft touches to their songs that really elevate them. The Agalloch-inspired lead guitar lines that weave around the aforementioned ‘Dysphoria’, the searing blast-beat section that crashes in after the acoustic break in the excellent ‘Fathoms’, the frenetic thrashy verse riffs of ‘Ash Alight’ – all reek of confidence and a sense of finely-honed song-craft and all represent significant musical peaks. It’s only the occasional over-reliance on a Dissection-y chug that crops up towards the end of the album that spoils the party a little.
‘Solace’ is a short release – thirty-six minutes in all – with the taut quality of the material suggesting that Vinterbris have honed their tunes to be as fat-free as possible. It works. Coupled with an unfussy production and sprightly musical performances, it all adds to a professionally delivered and enjoyable package. This is a bracing blast of icy black metal, laced with melody – taking influence from the titans of the melodic black metal genre is a bold move but these young Norwegians manage it with aplomb.
(8/10 Frank Allain)
Leave a Reply