Review: Fimbul Winter – What Once Was

Fimbul Winter’s “What Once Was” is a record that doesn’t just wear its influences on its sleeve but brandishes them like a battle axe. The EP, born from a reunion of three former Amon Amarth members, offers is Swedish death metal as it was meant to be; steeped in the kind of authenticity that only comes from musicians who’ve lived through the genre’s golden age.

The opening salvo of “Storms Rage” sets the tone, a maelstrom of riffs and guttural vocals that hark back to the early ‘90s when melodic death metal was still raw and unpolished, yet undeniably catchy. The vocals are a standout, perfectly complementing the band’s icy, piercing variant of the genre, a deliberate departure from the more melodic-dominant path Amon Amarth later embraced.

What’s most striking about “What Once Was” is its balance. The band doesn’t just rely on brute force; there’s a melancholy and playfulness woven into the fabric of these tracks, sort of a reminder that the best Swedish death metal has always been as emotional as it is aggressive. The production is crisp, but not so polished that it sandpapers away the edges. Songs like “In Solitude’s Embrace” showcase this dynamic, with its audible bass lines and orchestral flourishes adding depth and atmosphere, while the title track, “What Once Was,” solidifies all ingedients into a song both commanding and full of despair.

Yet, for all its strengths, “What Once Was” doesn’t break new ground. It’s a love letter to a bygone era, and while it executes its vision with precision and passion, it doesn’t seek to reinvent the wheel. That’s not a criticism, though: sometimes, the most satisfying music is the kind that reminds you why you fell in love with a genre in the first place. Fimbul Winter have crafted an EP that feels like a long-lost artifact from the heyday of Swedish death metal, and in doing so, they’ve delivered something that’s both a tribute and a triumph in its own right.