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artist: Fimbul Winter
title: What Once Was
year: 2025
genre: Death Metal
type: EP
label: Blaekr Sound Recordings
language: English
rel. date: 2025-11-14
source: WEB/MP3
quality: CBR 320kbps / 44.1 kHz / Full Stereo
runtime: 00:23:52
size: 60.98 MB
rip date: 2025-11-24
source url: https://www.deezer.com/album/805314631
tracklist:
1. Storms Rage 3:53
2. What Once Was 5:14
3. Mounds of Stones 5:31
4. A Soul That Soared 4:32
5. In Solitude's Embrace 4:42
release notes:
Fimbul Winter, hailing from the Stockholm metropolitan area, is a band
that has been around since 2023 and consists of three-quarters
ex-members of Amon Amarth. With "What Once Was," they now present their
debut EP, which features five tracks with a playing time of 24 minutes,
released independently by the band.
When former members of a well-known band start something new, or
musicians pursue a side project alongside their main activity, they are
intuitively compared to their previous or current main activity. This
is, in a sense, in the nature of things, and Fimbul Winter (not to be
confused with the Norwegian band Fimbulwinter, written as one word,
which released the great "Servants of Sorcery" in 1994 with a certain
Shagrath in their ranks, later known from Dimmu Borgir) deal openly with
this fact and communicate it-and why not, after all, they were part of
one of the biggest and most famous death metal bands ever.
Fimbul Winter are thoroughly convincing with their melodic death metal,
which clearly reveals its Swedish origins and is instantly appealing
with its perfect blend of melancholy, aggression, and playfulness. The
first track, "Storms Rage," starts off well with aggressive riffing and
also has subtle thrash influences, reminiscent of Swedish bands such as
the unfortunately no longer existing and underrated Dimension Zero or
The Haunted. Of course, melodic elements are not neglected, and Clint's
vocals, the only member without an Amon Amarth past, fit the music
perfectly in the sense of an aggressive but well-accentuated and
variable voice. The title track of the EP, "What Once Was," is somewhat
more melancholic and impresses with a great driving mid-tempo part that
should go down well live, before melodic guitars kick in again. "Mounds
of Stones" fishes in similar waters, and here too, the aggressive yet
melancholic structures so typical of Swedish death metal come into their
own. "A Soul that Soared" starts off very melodic and playful before
transitioning back into a driving, oppressive part. These parts in
particular are reminiscent of the mighty Bolt Thrower, who sadly are no
longer with us, even though they otherwise indulged in a different style
of death metal. The final track, "In Solitude's Embrace," is somewhat
more straightforward, varies the tempo, and has a more aggressive mood,
leaving the listener hungry for more.
In summary, I can attest that the band has created a very strong piece
of Swedish melodic death metal that should appeal especially to
listeners who, despite all the aggression, value melancholy and
atmosphere. The whole thing should go down particularly well live-I'm
looking forward to a full album, and in my opinion, the band has already
achieved its self-formulated goal of becoming a "heavier band" than Amon
Amarth with this great EP.
internal notes:
FKK tagged their release Rock, so people who only pay attention to Metal
releases mighit have missed out on this one.