Review Fimbul Winter "What once was"

Fimbul Winter, hailing from the Stockholm metropolitan area, is a band that has been around since 2023 and consists of three-quarters ex-members of Amon Amarth. With “What Once Was,” they now present their debut EP, which features five tracks with a playing time of 24 minutes, released independently by the band.

When former members of a well-known band start something new, or musicians pursue a side project alongside their main activity, they are intuitively compared to their previous or current main activity. This is, in a sense, in the nature of things, and Fimbul Winter (not to be confused with the Norwegian band Fimbulwinter, written as one word, which released the great “Servants of Sorcery” in 1994 with a certain Shagrath in their ranks, later known from Dimmu Borgir) deal openly with this fact and communicate it—and why not, after all, they were part of one of the biggest and most famous death metal bands ever.

Of course, I also own works by Amon Amarth. I remember being deeply impressed by their first EP from 1996, “Sorrow throughout the Nine Worlds,” (which, by the way, included a piece entitled “The arrival of the Fimbul Winter”) as well as their debut album, “Once Sent from the Golden Hall,” which was released two years later. I also liked some of their later works, but at some point I lost track of the numerous subsequent releases, and even though I don't want to badmouth the band and I'm happy for Amon Amarth's success, which they certainly earned through hard work, the band developed in a direction that interested me less and less.

I haven't listened to the already mentioned earlier works in quite some time (which I should definitely do again), but I'm reluctant to listen to them now for the sake of reviewing parallels and cross-references. Instead, I want to judge Fimbul Winter as a new, autonomous band in its own right.

In this respect, Fimbul Winter are thoroughly convincing with their melodic death metal, which clearly reveals its Swedish origins and is instantly appealing with its perfect blend of melancholy, aggression, and playfulness. The first track, “Storms Rage,” starts off well with aggressive riffing and also has subtle thrash influences, reminiscent of Swedish bands such as the unfortunately no longer existing and underrated Dimension Zero or The Haunted. Of course, melodic elements are not neglected, and Clint's vocals, the only member without an Amon Amarth past, fit the music perfectly in the sense of an aggressive but well-accentuated and variable voice. The title track of the EP, “What Once Was,” is somewhat more melancholic and impresses with a great driving mid-tempo part that should go down well live, before melodic guitars kick in again. “Mounds of Stones” fishes in similar waters, and here too, the aggressive yet melancholic structures so typical of Swedish death metal come into their own. “A Soul that Soared” starts off very melodic and playful before transitioning back into a driving, oppressive part. These parts in particular are reminiscent of the mighty Bolt Thrower, who sadly are no longer with us, even though they otherwise indulged in a different style of death metal. The final track, “In Solitude's Embrace,” is somewhat more straightforward, varies the tempo, and has a more aggressive mood, leaving the listener hungry for more.

In summary, I can attest that the band has created a very strong piece of Swedish melodic death metal that should appeal especially to listeners who, despite all the aggression, value melancholy and atmosphere. The whole thing should go down particularly well live—I'm looking forward to a full album, and in my opinion, the band has already achieved its self-formulated goal of becoming a “heavier band” than Amon Amarth with this great EP.