REVIEW: Frosttide – EP Decedents – Enshrined

Finnish melodic death metal band Frosttide has released a new version of their EP “Decedents – Enshrined”, that is completely remixed and remastered at Finnvox Studios. The EP was originally recorded for a tour through Japan. The new EP is going to be released on 30 November 2018through Out Of Line Music.

I have to be honest… I had heard of Frosttide before, but I never really started listening to their music. When I got the promo in my inbox, I was immediately triggered and interested. As I gave it a first spin, I immediately noticed that this is my cup of tea. The grant orchestrations and a massive sound really took me off guard.

While listening to the intro track “Ocean’s Peace” I immediately understand the kind of beautiful atmospheres the band is able to create, which they persist on throughout the whole EP. The whole EP feels ice cold, has epic orchestrations and reminds me of the bigger Finnish melodic death metal acts, such as Children Of Bodom, and Wintersun. Finnish metal, in general, has this kind of unique and mystical atmosphere in general that breathes out the darkness, the cold and all the melancholy and Frosttide is tapping into that inspiration as well in their soundscapes.

The lyrical theme revolves around death, the EP thus is pretty grim and dark, however, the created soundscapes and orchestrations add a certain magic to the soundtrack. Each of the five tracks follows a different story around the same theme and take you through a whimsical landscape that’s often hauntingly beautiful.

The production of this EP is outstanding, the vocals are a little bit more in the background, but taking all the elements into account, I think it’s actually a good thing. The focus on this EP is mostly on the orchestrations and choirs, this somehow makes the whole EP more mystical. The atmosphere stands central in these tracks, this is especially clear while listening to a song like “Final Hour” with its epic choirs and ethereal female vocals.

Picking out a favorite track is a tough challenge. There really are no filler tracks on this EP, they each tell a story and they all have a great flow. Considering the EP has a concept, I feel that each track contributes to that. All that tracks have instrumental versions that also stand alone, and could be easily part of the original soundtrack of a movie. Hopefully, someone in the movie industry will find these tracks and use them as a soundtrack for an epic journey of a hero who dies in battle. The instrumental tracks give a better understanding of how masterfully these tracks have been composed and arranged.

If you like your melodic death metal, I definitely recommend this EP. Not only are their fantastic orchestrations, but the speed of the epic melo-death also styled blast beats, the heavy guitar riffs, and melodic keyboard sections will definitely excite any fan of the genre.

Tracklist
1. Ocean’s Peace
2. Tranquility
3. Carved Into Ice
4. Final Hour
5. Revenant
6. Ocean’s Peace (Instrumental)
7. Tranquility (Instrumental)
8. Carved Into Ice (Instrumental)
9. Final Hour (Instrumental)
10. Revenant (Instrumental)

Links
https://www.facebook.com/Frosttide/
https://www.frosttide.com/
https://www.instagram.com/frosttide/