VINTERSORG
Till fjälls, del II

Vintersorg’s classic album remastered! A real gem of epic Swedish Viking Metal!

As someone who listens to Metal albums on a daily basis, as well as being a Metal fan for well over 40 years, there are many great Metal albums out there. But sometimes an album comes along that changes how we look at Metal. We are not sure if that was Andreas “Vintersorg” Hedlund‘s intention when he wrote his debut full length, “Till Fjälls”, but that is exactly what this album did. His intention was to create a sound that was Black Metal based but also focusing more on clean vocals and adding more traditional Swedish folk elements to the that base. He inadvertently patented a new sound and sub-genre.

The album opens with, “Rundans,” which is basically an intro, being part acoustic and part electric. Keyboards take the place of what sounds like wind instruments. “For kung och fosterland,” follows as the first proper song, opening with speed and fury there are tremolo riffs and grim vocals but they lead to a much more melodic approach with the clean vocals taking over. Vintersorg sings here in a low baritone which became his trademark. But it is the way he used those melodies intertwined with the heavier more Black Metal oriented sounds was new and nothing like it existed before.

But what the real magic here is the entire package. Songs about that show how ancient paganism was so rooted in the actual forces of nature; while done so in his own language over top this epic Metal music that was all new.

From the cold of Norrland this album manages to take the cold and grim and add some warmth and emotion. This masterpiece was just the first in a string of absolutely brilliant albums from this incredible talented artist. After 27 years this album still resonated with me the same as it did when I first heard it. This is proof that great music is timeless.

For fans of: Falkenbach, Moonsorrow, Borknagar, Finntroll, Kampfar, Einherjer.

Classic Folk/Black Metal goes progressive! Remastered and finally available again.

In progressive music circles, the genre of Black Metal sometimes seemed to get a treatment as if it is was plague-like. Even a lot of Metalheads themselves cannot bring themselves to develop a taste for it, although diehard fans of the genre swear it is one of the most atmospheric and emotive styles of music in existence to date.

With Vintersorg’s “Cosmic Genesis” it appears as if there is a perfect album for those who are not too much into Black/Pagan Metal (or other extreme forms) but are interested to look into it. Strong melodies and intelligent instrumentation mixed with some more primal, heavy sounding riffs make for a very wellrounded Metal album that a much wider variety of listeners should find appreciation for.

One of the biggest points of contention people seem to have with Black Metal are the high-pitched screams which dominate and help define the genre. While these are indeed present in “Cosmic Genesis”, the main form of vocal delivery rests on the deep and strong clean singing of Andreas Hedlund, at times verging on being operatic in nature. Strong melodies and some rocking guitar riffs are the order of the day for this classic Vintersorg album. A special track worth mentioning here is a great cover of the Uriah Heep track “Rainbow Demon”, which is performed in great Vintersorg style (and has a strong medievalsounding intro). The album is full of great Black/Folk Metal tracks, although the highlights would undeniably include the opener (‘Astral & Arcane,’) the title track, and the powerful ballad ‘The Enigmatic Spirit,’ which should convince anyone to check out this album after hearing it. We think the highly melodic nature of this album will help at least a few people open up to Black Metal as a whole, who are not too familiar with this style, or do not like it too extreme.

For fans of: Falkenbach, Moonsorrow, Borknagar, Finntroll, Kampfar, Einherjer.

Vintersorg’s classic second album remastered! One of the best Folk Metal ever made!

“Ödemarkens Son” (translates as “Son of the Wilderness”), the second full length from the Swedish band Vintersorg is unique Black/Folk Metal release. Generally speaking, this is not the ‘happy dancing’ Folk Metal like Korpiklaani, Finntroll or the likes, this is mournful. blackened Folk Metal, with very poetic and sorrowful lyrics, more on the side of old Ulver, but still is something very different from any released before.

On this album, Vintersorg deals with old Scandinavian tales, pagan themes and his impression of Nature. Lyrically this is the most personal work of Vintersorg where, using the aforementioned elements, he expresses his own feelings.
Musically, this is what everyting one could expect from a really amazing Folk Metal album.

The album is very melodic, using a lot of acoustic guitars, most of the time the guitars (acoustic and distorted ones) are doing different things, complementing each other perfectly, also still there is a good amount of catchiness, specially on the choruses, but not the ‘let’s drink another beer’ kind of, more majestic, epic yet woeful ones.  Also there is an unusual high amount of riffs and rhythm changes on each song, not allowing the music fall on tediousness and unnecessary repetitions.
Vintersorg sings with full emotion. His voice has an inner strength, self-confidence and epic feel that captivate the listener instantly, leaving the instrumental section sometimes on the background.

About the song themselves... there’s no filler here. Almost all songs change a lot nicely and switch smoothly from folk acoustic passages to fast black metal moments, carrying the listener through the atmosphere and preparing him to the climax moments on every song. Did we say that the songs are very epic?

Vintersorg returns with their long-awaited new album “Vattenkrafternas Spel”! Merging old and new with a captivating mix of athmospheric Metal and Folk!

Sweden’s elemental force Vintersorg returns with their new album “Vattenkrafternas Spel”! “Vattenkrafternas Spel” merging old and new with a captivating mix of atmospheric Black Metal and Folk! It doesn’t just retrace old steps... it digs deeper! This is not the “let’s drink ale in the woods” version of Folk Metal,Vintersorg deals in frostbitten grandeur and soaring melancholy.

As always, Andreas Hedlund (aka mr. Vintersorg himself) leads the charge, balancing razor-edged riffing with layered clean vocals, icy shrieks, and a knack for songwriting that’s as cinematic as it 
 ispunishing. There’s no scientific concept this time around, no tangled progressive detours, just full immersion in atmosphere, feeling, and elemental force. Call it Folk Metal, call it Black Metal, call it Vintersorg at full power!