Frozen Crown – Winterbane

Frozen Crown
Winterbane
Scarlet Records
April 23, 2021
54:25

“Crowned In Frost” is followed by “Winterbane”. So it stays cold for the Power Metallers from Milan in Northern Italy. However, there have been great changes in the line-up over the past two years. The creative duo Giada Etro (Ashes To Leave, among others) and Federico Mondelli (Be The Wolf, Volturian) remained. The previous albums were recorded almost single-handedly by the two. Whether there was more teamwork this time cannot be inferred from the press release. However, I suspect the line-up below is mainly for live performances. The guitarist and songwriter also designed the artwork. The musicians were inspired by series like “Games of Thrones” or “Vikings”. The press release speaks of the “final breakthrough”. Is that so or have the promoters exaggerated? I would like to answer this question in the following.

Already with the aggressive opener “Embrace The Night”, the Italians take no prisoners. The song is characterised by galloping guitar riffs and the usual powerful vocals of Giada Etro. “Towards The Sun” is hardly inferior. And it gets even faster. “Far Beyond” is already in the realm of Speed Metal. What an elemental force, which comes crashing down on the listener. No sooner do you want to complain that the album is too monotonously oriented towards speed and power than you are proven wrong by the anthemic “The Lone Stranger”. Also on “Crown Eternal” the melodic parts dominate. And Jade’s vocals are countered by the angry growls of mastermind Federico Mondelli. Very heavy. Then it gets even more melodic and calm. “The Water Dancer” is a catchy power metal song with great hit potential. At concerts, the fans can sing along here. After the rhythmic but also melodic “Angels In Disguise”, Frozen Crown try their hand at the Judas Priest hit “Night Crawler”. And with success. Without bending the basic musical direction, the musicians succeed in creating their very own version. After the instrumental interlude “Tales Of The Forest”, the album ends with the truly epic masterpiece “Blood On The Snow”. For a whole nine minutes, Frozen Crown give free rein to their joy of playing. Sometimes hymn-like, then Speed Metal again. Federico Mondelli growls again and his female vocal partner completes the perfect interplay of “The Beauty and the Beast” with her clear vocals.

Is this now the breakthrough? Let’s just say that “Winterbane” is by far the band’s best album. Musically, Frozen Crown take a big step forward. Varied, with sophisticated songwriting. But in this day and age, it’s hard for any young band to break through. The future will show whether the Italians succeed. They certainly have what it takes.

Frozen Crown – Far Beyond (Official Video): https://youtu.be/yoKmHAmtopk

Lineup:

Giada “Jade” Etro – Vocals
Federico Mondelli – Vocals, Guitars, Keys
Fabiola Bellomo – Guitars
Francesco Zof – Bass
Niso Tomasini – Drums

Track list:

• Embrace The Night
• Towards The Sun
• Far Beyond
• The Lone Stranger
• Crown Eternal
• The Water Dancer
• Angels In Disguise
• Night Crawler
• Tales Of The Forest
• Blood On The Snow