Frozen Dawn – The Decline of the Enlightened Gods

While the realm of black metal is undeniably vast, certain pockets of the style still find themselves surprisingly lacking in some form or another for no particular reason, I don’t think, other than pure happenstance. One would normally expect straightforward black metal with a massive presence and epic scope would be something that’s damn near overflowing in today’s modern climate, but it’s not often enough that we see a name come along that actually manages to live up to the expectations for such a sound as many oftentimes feel as though they’re missing some element somewhere in the process. In the case of Frozen Dawn with their newest effort, however, it’s clear that they were very meticulous in their crafting with the final result nothing short of bombastic and wild.

It really does seem to me that works of this ilk should be far more common than reality would have it. We live in a golden age of black metal representation where it really does feel as though every possible avenue for the style has been traveled down with more than plenty of bands being able to fill the shoes and meet the desires of any potential listeners out there, but truly exceptional acts can still feel few and far between with those few sticking out fantastically when they do come around. For Frozen Dawn, that trend proves to be no different. Even though the ten tracks of “The Decline of the Enlightened Gods” treads down virtually no new ground whatsoever for black metal, it’s in practically every category that Frozen Dawn manages to deliver and succeed seemingly without so much as breaking a sweat. Tantalizing riffs with amazing production that goes magnificently hand-in-hand with the undeniable songwriting that immediately elevates “The Decline of the Enlightened Gods” above much of what many of Frozen Dawn’s contemporaries are able to bring to the table, very few things stop the marching of this record once it gets going. All of the right boxes were checked off in the crafting of this record down to the last minute detail having something for us to ooze over as Frozen Dawn has proven itself to be more than capable of delivering its sound in magnificent fashion not just by the standards of the casual listener but to a degree that the very essence of “The Decline of the Enlightened Gods” should find its way into the hearts of even the most devoted black metal fans.

A beast of a record that has something to offer from a dramatic entrance to a damn good Necrophobic cover to close out with, the sixteen years and three full-length albums that have brought Frozen Dawn to this point have been crucial in contributing to what certifiably has to be band’s most compelling album to date. Every facet of “The Decline of the Enlightened Gods” is precisely what many of us could ever ask for out of our modern black metal with the rise of Frozen Dawn not something to be underestimated in any form whatsoever.

“The Decline of the Enlightened Gods” releases on February 10th via Transcending Obscurity Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “The Decline of the Enlightened Gods” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Frozen Dawn on Facebook here.