Frozen Ocean – Vestigial Existence (2011)

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Originally recorded in 2009, today we have Frozen Ocean and ‘their’ release “Vestigial Existence”. This highly active one-man outfit keeps cranking out releases like they are pancakes, but impressively enough they are all pretty good. Whether they are Dark Ambient/Drone or Atmospheric Black Metal, the releases by this band are very well crafted and deliver the right amount of melody, atmosphere, and aggression. Luckily for us, this release is more on the Metal side, and we can enjoy some cool atmospheric elements thrown in with punishing riffs.

Immediately after the ambient intro “In Derelict”, the guitars start pounding on “Winter – Aelean Being”. In this track, a very melancholic vibe is present thanks to the solemn riffs and powerful vocals. The song structure is quite engaging and you can hear that is some of Frozen Ocean’s earlier work since their style is not as refined and sounds rawer. The catchiness is always present with “Mute Walls” and some cool sort-of-electronic elements that make this song very appealing for fans of Industrial Black Metal.

Things get totally freaky with the crazy “Lurker”, a track that reminds us just how awesome bands can be at experimenting without totally overdoing it. The contrast immediately comes with “Steps above the Silence” a very melancholic and melodic track that is definitely our favorite in this release, this just shows how versatile (and dementedly awesome) is Frozen Ocean’s sound. The melancholy nicely continues with “Soil Pillows”, but it is suddenly transformed into experimental aggression with “Human Magnet”, a track that reminds us of Falkenbach and similar Viking/Folk Metal bands.

As the release closes with the solemn “Pyrewards”, we can’t help but wonder to what extent does Frozen Ocean’s creativity reaches. This one-man outfit delivers so many different styles put together in a very cohesive and mature manner, something that many single-member projects/band fail to keep achieving after a handful of releases. If you feel like getting blown away by some awesome experimentation and excellent Metal elements, get a copy of this limited release.

Band: Frozen Ocean Album: Vestigial Existence

Label: Deleting Souls Records

Release: March 30th, 2011

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Genre: Atmospheric/Experimental Black Metal

Country: Russia

Rating: 90/100
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