Riis, Bjørn: Fimbulvinter

I reviewed the last full-length album from Bjørn Riis, Everything to Everyone, a few years ago and recommended it with some mild reservations. I have no pause in recommending his most recent release, Fimbulvinter, which appeared earlier this month.

The album kicks off with “Illhug,� a brief and delicate acoustic instrumental. It’s followed by “Gone,� a driving song with Riis showing some of his more aggressive guitar playing to date contrasted with tender, introspective vocals, among the best of his career. “Panic Attack,� the longest tune on the album, has a series of slow builds to almost doomy, metallic riffing at times before a very abrupt ending. The promotional material said that the album has some material that would be of interest to fans of Black Sabbath, along with traditional prog bands, as expected. I was wondering if that heaviness would actually appear. But it does here. “Panic Attack� leads to an acoustic driven number, “She,� that unfolds for about four minutes prior to some elegant dreamscapes one has come to expect from Riis. The title track is nine minutes of instrumental goodness. It starts off with some distorted guitar and ends with a little more of five minutes of tones very reminiscent of Gilmour’s last three solo albums combined with a heavier interlude that might have been found on the first two Sabbath albums. The closer, “Fear of Abandonment,� provides nearly eight minutes of emotional vocals and guitars that never cross over into the maudlin.

Riis plays all the instruments on Fimbulvinter, minus the drums; he is joined by three guest players. I expect I will be playing the hell out of this album for some time. The same is true for an EP that Riis released shortly after Everything to Everyone that I only recently discovered. Titled A Fleeting Glimpse, it’s unsurprisingly very Floyd-like, ranging from the pastoral sounds of 1969-1971 to the soaring, emotional work from 1972-1975, to the harder-toned edge of Animals.

I’ve always liked Bjorn Riis. But, man, he’s really hit his stride.

Track Listing
1. Illhug (1:43)
2. Gone (8:34)
3. Panic Attack (10:56)
4. She (6:33)
5. Fimbulvinter (8:59)
6. Fear of Abandonment (7:36)

Added: April 15th 2025
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Artist Website
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Language: english

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