(written by Islander)
Like many other ardent fans of melodic death metal, we were first drawn to Fimbul Winter last fall by the musical pedigrees of their lineup: The band was formed by Amon Amarth co-founders Anders Biazzi and Niko Kaukinen, along with longtime Amon Amarth drummer Fredrik Andersson, and they were joined by venomous vocalist Clint Williams (Munitions, Nemesium). And then Fimbul Winter’s music pulled us all the way in – first with a single called “Mounds of Stones” and then with a debut EP named What Once Was.
Our reviewer here called Fimbul Winter a “battle horde”, creating music on that EP that was “sharp and aggressive”, “pulling from a massive well of fiery and head-on aggressive guitar riffs”, making battle anthems but also loading them with earworms, and “injecting life into the sometimes staid waters of melodeath”. And we put that first single on our list of last year’s Most Infectious Extreme Metal Songs — though really any of the EP’s songs could have warranted that award.
Fortunately, that EP wasn’t a one-and-done effort. This past May Fimbul Winter released another terrific single (“Crowned In Ash“), and today they’re releasing a compelling new one called “When The Sun Comes Out At Night” — with Johan Lindstrand from The Crown joining them as a guest vocalist. We are most happy to share it with you today through our premiere of a lyric video for the song.
As you will see, the lyrics are eloquent — and harrowing. As the band have described, “Lyrically, ‘When The Sun Comes Out At Night‘ explores the loss of stability experienced upon seeing reality too clearly. This awakening of truth, of knowing, becomes disorientating as it dismantles what was once certain.”
We’ll also share the band’s description of the music:
“When The Sun Comes Out At Night” descends into a thunderous, high-speed onslaught driven by incessant riffs and untamable percussion. Fiercely melodic, entwining guitars traverse alongside the anguish-fueled harsh vocal performance from Clint Williams and guest vocalist Johan Lindstrand (THE CROWN). The shadowy atmosphere, brutal in nature, obtains a heroic, victorious quality as it reaches its end.
But of course we have our own thoughts about the song and the moods it channels:
Its opening creates a very dark atmosphere, combining grit-edged riffing that menacingly churns with a lead guitar that grievously wails. Rumbling low-end thunder makes the experience even more ominous, and then Fimbul Winter dial up the intensity with hammering beats, caustic snarls, and riffing that frantically writhes and feverishly escalates.
The guitars viciously swarm but simultaneously they channel a dismal and desolate mood — and then the riffing switches into a staccato convulsion, even more frantic and vicious than before, though the lead guitar rears its head again, slowly wailing in agony once more.
The anguished savagery of the harsh vocals is electrifying throughout the song, but as the musical refrains of the song dig in deeper, there’s no mistaking the feelings of distress and downfall they radiate, or the aspects of grief and abandonment that are left as it fades away at the end.
While many of Fimbul Winter’s songs sound like battles raging across the skies, this one shows another side; it’s more a distressing lament than a manifestation of savage glory. Like everything else Fimbul Winter have recorded before today, however, this is also a very memorable song that we predict will get stuck in people’s heads.
CREDITS:
Music & Lyrics: Fimbul Winter
Guest vocals by Johan Lindstrand
Bass by Risa
Mixed and Mastered by Marko Tervonen at StudioMT
Recorded and engineered by Andreas Morén at Studio Fluff
This new song will be available today at Bandcamp, and probably other platforms as well.
BANDCAMP:
https://fimbulwinterswe.bandcamp.com/track/when-the-sun-comes-out-at-night
FOLLOW:
https://www.facebook.com/fimbulwinterswe
https://www.instagram.com/fimbulwinterswe/