Article By: Brian Halsey ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Part of being a grown-ass man is abandoning the fake news concept that I need a calendar to tell me what time of year it is. Sorry Hallmark, when I see grey skies and heavy wet snow on the ground, it’s wintertime.
I don’t need some overpriced, 12-page picture book to tell me how to live my life. I throw on melodic Swedish metal and patronize the manager of my local Acme for not carrying the reindeer meat I’ve been requesting. I don’t do these things because I want to, I do them because it is officially winter, and I have to.
Enter Vintersorg, which translates to Winter Sorrow, and translates to triumphant, legendary, heroic, cold weather, ass-kicking music. ‘Till fjälls: Del II‘ was released this past June and is a majestic offering of over-the-top, harmonious, Viking glory.
Vintersorg concocts a unique formula of sound, featuring all the popular flavors of Scandinavian metal. Mr. V (vocals, programming, bass) and Mattias Marklund (guitars) unleash a pristine brand of all that is right about their snowy piece of the earth beneath the ‘Aurora Borealis’.
Power metal, black metal, symphonic metal, folk metal, and metalcore all play an equal role in what surmises to be a thoroughly entertaining listen. Vintersorg will make your heart soar to the heights of sweeping mountains, then drag you back down into the depths of hell, all within the same song.
The Swedes are known for their heavy music and rightfully so. However, do not let the attempt at labeling this beast fool you. ‘Till fjälls: Del II‘ is anything but your standard metal release. The recording is ultra-clean, and the vocals vary frequently enough to avoid being pegged down as a specific style. Vintersorg drops over an hour of music that will keep you fully engaged and still peeling back layers after multiple listens.
Vintersorg will channel your inner warrior and take your spirit to another dimension. Believe me, I’ve seen what happens to Americans when they serve some time in Sweden. Building fires, eating mostly fish, and listening to a ton of heavy metal does something to a person.
And by something, I mean it causes them to revel in the glory of Walpurgis Night and partake in the May Day, frozen lake jump. For proof the legend is true, listen to Vintersorg here:
Till fjälls: Del II – Tracklist:
01. Jökelväktaren
02. En väldig isvidds karga dräkt
03. Lavin
04. Fjällets mäktiga mur
05. Obygdens pionjär
06. Vinterstorm
07. Tusenåriga stråk
08. Allt mellan himmel och jord
09. Vårflod
10. Tillbaka till källorna
11. Köldens Borg
12. Portalen
13. Svart måne
And for additional evidence, marvel at the asshole Viking (pictured below) ascending high into the Swedish clouds, swiping at the feet of Odin, and reconnecting with lost culture buried deep in the subconsciousness of his DNA. Make no mistake, he was there before his arrival and will remain after his departure. Will you join?
