The Swedish act known as Ereb Altor have unleashed their latest platter of doom laden Scandinavian metal titled Fire Meets Ice. Ragnar (Vocals, Guitar, Bass), Mats (Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keys), and Tord (Drums) have long made their love of the music of classic Bathory known, and Fire Meets Ice once again contains plenty of those Viking metal elements that Quorthon introduced to the world years ago. This fourth release from the band dips yet again into Norse mythology, complete with mountains of atmosphere, heavy riffs, and a mix of clean & harsh vocal styles. The title track opens things up in epic fashion, giving way to the crushing sounds of "The Chosen Ones", as haunting keyboards and huge guitar riffs create the musical landscape for ragged vocal growls to tell the story. Gorgeous folk passages show up on "Nifelheim" and "My Ravens", while "Sacrifice" and " The Deceiver Shall Repent" mix doom, folk, black metal, and prog rock for an epic, multi-textured listening experience. If it's the extreme side of the band you like, then "Post Ragnarok" should more than satisfy with its blend of violent blackened doom. Musically this is really good stuff, but for me I'm even more impressed by the excellent layering of both clean & harsh vocals throughout the album. The melodic singing is somewhat operatic and very powerful, while the black metal styled rasps are evil and very well done. Fire Meets Ice is my first taste of Ereb Altor, and I have to say I'll be coming back for more.
Track Listing
1. Fire Meets Ice
2. The Chosen Ones
3. Nifelheim
4. My Ravens
5. Sacrifice
6. Helheimsfärd
7. The Deceiver Shall Repent
8. Post Ragnarök
9. Our Legacy
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
