Frozen Ocean – Trollvinter (2013)

Russia’s Frozen Ocean has always kept us guessing when it comes to their very interesting releases and today we have the totally weird and completely instrumental “Trollvinter”. Inspired by “Moominland Midwinter” of Tove Jansson, this release features 10 tracks of ambient movements that will surely bring back the nightmares generated by movies like “Event Horizon” and its weird atmospheric soundtrack.

The very mysterious “Sömnlöshet” opens this release with a certain cinematic feeling to it from old-school cartoons of something being followed in the woods by an evil creature. This very dark and yet relaxing vibe is prolonged by the dreamy “Att Betrakta Begravde Världen”. Followed by the drone-ish “Snöa Lanterna”, Frozen Winter has managed to create very somber soundscapes that are perfect to be enjoyed while walking in the woods on a dark and rainy day.

Vaarwel’s composing abilities make the transition to more hectic tracks like “Kullar och Osynlig” very natural allowing the flow of the music to continue while changing the mood of it very drastically. One of our favorite tracks is the weird “Ficklampor” and the sense of urgency that transmits with very minimal elements. With a more industrial vibe, “Mårran Söker” reminded us of bands like Malignant Eternal, Mysticum, and even the almighty Diabolos Rising, but without falling into Black Metal territories.

The desolate sounds of the opening of “Ensamma Gäster” send chills down our spine, and when the keyboards come in they create perfect creepy atmosphere than music Ambient should have. The only song we are not fully ok with is the electronic/industrial piece “Isig Flod”, while it never gets out of control it just feels a bit odd in the natural flow of things in the release. With “Vågor av Uppvaknande” the band gets back on track and delivers a truly magnificent closing song for this engaging release.

In general, Frozen Ocean has done a great job in painting lush landscapes and ethereal realms with this very atmospheric and minimalistic release. The band shows there is no need to use tons of elements and samples to create chilling and thought provoking music in “Trollvinter”. We are very excited to hear what the band comes up with next, wether it is Black Metal, Ambient, or anything in between. On a plus side, the excellent artwork of the slipcase digipack makes the immersive experience of this release even more gratifying.

Release: February 27th, 2013

Genre: Ambient / Drone / Industrial

Country: Russia