Frosthelm/Pyrrhic/Revenger Records/2019 Full Length Review

  Bismarck,  North  Dakota's  Frosthelm  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  continues  the  melodic  style  of  blackened  thrash  metal  from  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Pyrrhic"  which  will  be  released  on  March  23rd  by  Revenger  Records.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  while  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  melody.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Elements  of  thrash  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  the  fast  riffs  also  use  a  good  amount  of  tremolo  picking.  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  old  school  style.

  A  great  amount  of  Swedish  influences  can  also  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  one  track  also  introducing  classical  guitars  onto  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording,  one  of  the  later  tracks  is  also  an  instrumental  and  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  towards  the  end.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Frosthelm  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  blackened  thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "A  Gift  Of  Razors"  "The  Sorceress"  and  "Pyrrhic  II  Loooming  Disk".  8  out  of  10.

https://frosthelm.bandcamp.com/track/the-sorceress-single

Frosthelm/The Endless Winter/Black Work (Alkemy Brothers)/2015 CD Review

  Frosthelm  are  a  band  from  North  Dakota  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  black  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "The  Endless Winter"  which  will  be  released in  March  by  Black  Work  (Alkemy  brothers).

  Classical  guitar  playing  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  stringed  instruments  in  the  background  and  after  a  minute  the  music  starts  going  into  more  of  a  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  along  with  a  heavy  does  of  thrash  metal  elements  and  after  the  intro  spoken  word  samples  are  added  in  at  times  along  with  the  music  getting  a  lot  faster  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  all  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  the  music  has  a  very  heavy  and  melodic  Swedish  black  metal  feeling  to  it  while  the  band  never  forgets  their  thrash  roots  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  music  at  times  also  brings  in  the  brutality  of  death  metal  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  bring  in  a  very  melodic,  extreme  and  old  school  metal  sound  to  the   recording  along  with  some  sections  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing.

 Frosthelm  remain  true  to  the  melodic  black  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings  while  also  mixing  in  even  more  thrash  elements  this  time  around  along  with  a  touch  of  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  winter  and  fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  form  Frosthelm  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  melodic  black  metal  and  thrash,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Storm  Of  teeth"  "Beneath  Dead  Horizons"  "Endless  Winter"  and  "The  Dragon".  8  out  of  10.

www.facebook.com/frosthelm
www.instagram.com/frosthelm
www.twitter.com/frosthelm
www.frosthelm.bandcamp.com

Frosthelm Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

D - Frosthelm is a metal band from North Dakota with black/thrash metal influences.

JI - Comeing out of the friggid depths of North Dakota, we embody all that is Frosthelm. With freezing riffs and thundering rythm we ride the plains, slaying all in our quest for the Froshelm!!

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
D - Tight, catchy metal tunes brah!
T - We're an aggressive thrash inspired band.
JI - I would say that we are a Thrash/Melodic Death Metal band that utilizes strong Black Metal influences.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band

explores with the music?
T - Lots of fantasy, the dark aspects of life.
D - Video games, fantasy, murder, evil, ghosts, goblins, epic battle, the power of darkness, ect
Ji - The Frosthelm!!!

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

D - I'm not sure. We picked four or five names and did some secret ritual black magic thing with 12 sided dice or something and Frosthelm is the one that got chosen. Ghost of Gygax?
Ji - The cold, war torn battle helm of a northern warrior.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

T - We played the Cino de Metal show in Minot with two of our favorite North Dakota bands (Gorgatron and Enviovore) and it was a fucking blast! All the bands played awesome!

Jim - Just got done playing an awesome show with Resistant Culture, the tribal crust/grind band feat. members of Terrorizer. We had a blast!

JI - I honestly love every show we play. No matter if it's 5 or 500 peaple, I always have a blast.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
D - Not at the moment
JI - Let's just hope that in the not too distant future Frosthelm will ride across this great nation on our bloody quest.

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?
T - Yes we are looking. A label that believes in us and is willing to invest in our music would be swell! 

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
D - We've only gotten a few reviews from our recent EP so far, but they have been swell!
JI - Feedback has been positive so far. Can't wait to hear from more of our metal brothers and sisters around the world.

9. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?
D - Jim and I have a grind band called Ditchpig. I'm also a troubadour.
T - I have a solo acoustic project called Pfliger Fantasy.
JI - I'm trying to start some stuff. We will see what happens.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
D - The music we write is pretty varied as far as style goes, so I don't really know. I'm thinking about trying to bring nu-metal back.
JI- Let the evil ones decide.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

D - Metallica and Slayer are the bands that inspired me to play guitar in the first place, so my riffing style is heavily influenced by thrash. Bands like Dissection and Amon Amarth taught me about melody. I've been listening to Witchery, Dark Funeral and W.A.S.P. lately.
T - Bands like Scorpions and Gwar got me into being in a band. Also, I like Cattle Decapitation, Cephalic Carnage, Setherial; bands like that. I have been spinning discs by Deathspell Omega, Portal, and Noisear.
JI - The others guys kinda nailed it. What more can I say?

Jim - I've always had it for those dark and eerie type bands i.e. Immolation, Belphegor, Dark Funeral to name a couple. Early Sepultura is what really got me hooked on playing guitar though. Lately I've been listenening to Ketzer, Watain, and Martyrdod.

12. How would you describe the metal scene in North Dakota?
D - There are not a ton of metal bands here, but the ones that are playing are all good and pretty much cover the whole metal spectrum.

T - Isolated, Starved for national acts, but our local metal bands do a good job and support one another and the local scene.

JI - Though most may not think there is much metal in ND, we do have our share.

Jim - Unpredictable.

13. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
D - I like knives, video games, books, craft beers, hunting, fishing, and general out-of-doors activity.
T - Sluts, drugs, beer.
JI - That crazy shit no body wants to talk about.

Jim- Really into recording/producing music, and other shit like that.

14. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
D - Buy our EP! Stay frosty!
T- Ditto, son.

JI - Keep it metal!

Jim-

Bandcamp

Facebook

ReverbNation

Twitter

Frosthelm//The Northwinds Rend Flesh/2012 EP Review

  Frosthelm  are  a  band  from  North  Dakota  that  plays  a  mixture  of  melodic  black  and  thrash  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "The  Northwinds  Rend  Flesh".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  tone  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout  the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  riffs  that  combine  melodic  black  metal  with  thrash  metal  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  while  the  lead  guitars  are  very  melodic  sounding  guitar  solos  and  leads  that  have  a  traditional  metal  feeling  to  them,.

  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  growls  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls being  utilized  at  times,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness,  nature  and  corruption  themes,  as  for  the  production it  has  a  very  strong,  powerful,  heavy  and  professional  sound  for  being  a  self  released  recording  and  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  In my  opinion Frosthelm  are  a  very  great  sounding  hybrid  of  melodic  black  metal  and  thrash  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Damage  Over  Time"  and  "The  Northwinds  Rend  Flesh".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

www.facebook.com/frosthelmband

www.reverbnation.com/frosthelm