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Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter
Brothers Of Metal - Fimbulvinter Album Art

Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

Epic Power Metal
4.0/5.0

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AFM Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 01.11.2024 | Released: 01.11.2024

The last we heard from Sweden's Brothers Of Metal was 2020's Emblas Saga, when the world was in the throes of the COVID epidemic. Once released from quarantine, BoM hit the road touring with Orden Ogan in 2022, and appearing at many festivals including Wacken Open Air 2022, Summer Breeze 2022, Bloodstock Open Air and Baltic Open Air, both in 2023. Now the mighty octet return with their third studio album Fimbulvinter (Norse mythology:the great, colder and darker winter that precedes Ragnarok coming). Vocalist Mats Nilsson said this about the new album:

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Brothers Of Metal

"The core sound is still there, but we've also evolved as songwriters, so the songs have more depth and width than before. Our songs follow the same themes as before even though we've ventured into new territories and explored new stories, as it were. We always aim to have one song that fits everyone on each album, with the result that our hymns tend to sound like a lot of different genres of metal. That's how we like it."


By "core" sound we all understand BoM's metal: epic, often symphonic, sometimes with folk nuances, melodic power metal. Arrangements are built upon, essentially, keep-it-true, heavy metal with twin guitar harmony, gallop and groove from the rhythm section, tag team male and female vocals, hooks in the refrains and choral vocal harmony and, of course, ripping guitar solos. BoM offers all the characteristics that makes the genre so pompous, bombastic, and enduring.

All these things are self-evident across the album. Fast and heavy power arrives with Flight Of The Ravens, Berserker, and Giantslayer as fine examples. Alternatively, Heart Of Stone has more moderate pacing, led by the rough male vocals. Heavy Metal Viking turns more upon its beat and groove, rather than speed, for heavy metal rock. Then there's Rivers Of Gold with its folk metal nuances. Nilsson describes it: "basically it's a Viking party ballad, which is just great in ways we've never done before." Finally, the metal Vikings get mellow with the power ballad Nanna's Fate.

All in all, Fimbulvinter finds Brothers Of Metal perfecting their craft, offering listeners their epic and melodic power metal with perhaps a few new nuances. If you dig the genre or the band, then hail Odin, raise your hammer, and bang your head. Well, not literally your head. You know what I mean. Recommended.



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The Take Away

All in all, Fimbulvinter finds Brothers Of Metal perfecting their craft, offering listeners their epic and melodic power metal with perhaps a few new nuances. If you dig the genre or the band, then hail Odin, raise your hammer, and bang your head. Well, not literally your head. You know what I mean. Recommended.

Support the artist, click the link below to buy the album at Amazon (US site) in your favorite format.

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