Frosthardr
Varg
5
Christian black metal. The term alone inspires fear in the unrepentant – those doomed to writhe eternally in the piercing flames of Hell. Or it doesn’t. Still, whether or not it’s a legitimate subgenre, which will be a source of debate until the apocalypse, bands like Frosthardr will continue to peddle their brand of BM in spite of what the pooh-pooher might say. And no, the three-song EP entitled Varg (Vikernes?) isn’t half bad, but that’s far from an endorsement.
Frosthardr are Norwegian, and hearken back to that raw, rudimentary black metal found in the second wave and beyond. The title track switches from mid to fast pace at the 1:50 minute mark, while typical screams and shrieks sound off in the foreground until a sorrowful lead steals the spotlight at 5:07. Yeah, it’s the kind of innocuous, standard fare you’ve undoubtedly heard before, but it ain’t terrible. “Tortured,” however, is over twice as long – tapping out at 11:45 – and has the same properties essentially, except for symphonic elements found in its beginning and also from 9:08 to 9:30. Otherwise, several transformations keep the song interesting, though definitely not enough to warrant a double-digit length. Last is a cover of One Bad Pig’s “Thrash Against Sin,” which is about as good as it sounds.
Maybe I’m more forgiving than most, but Varg is still average at best. Frosthardr have a ways to go if they want to impress the legion of black metal fans, which could be achieved by honing their skills, so it’s not as if that goal is unattainable. For now, better Christian black metal comes from Antestor, Crimson Moonlight, Drottnar, Kekal, early Lengsel, the long-defunct Horde, and a couple others.
