Ola Englund and company have come roaring out of the gate with "Vinter", FEARED's latest release. Its blend of brutal riffs, grinding rhythms, and blood thirsty screams is certain to incite carnage where ever it's played. Welcome to "Vinter"...

The album opens with "Sun Awake", a moody intro that congers up images of icy winds and frost bitten landscapes with its simple yet heavy rhythms and brooding drum work. From there we are thrown in "Needle Effect", a thrash fest consisting of brutal double bass and wicked riffs. Vocal growls and screams in different ranges give the song some interesting diversity (interesting as in really fucking cool, not interesting as in "he has a great personality" Those in the dating scene know exactly what I mean) Moving along...

Next up is "Your God", another blood soaked, spine snapping piece that runs amok in this musical line up with its clever time changes and epic choruses. Mario's vocals are wicked strong and keep the synergy flowing from beginning to end. From there we hit "Hate is Everything" which, to be honest, really follows the same guitar and vocal pattern as the previous songs. Things do change, however, when the next song, "Mass Destruction", starts in. Rolling drum work that hints of inspiration from DESTRUCTION are the hallmark of this piece.  Bass work flows seamlessly with the drums on this piece, with contrasting guitar riffs sprinkled throughout to give the song depth. The song evolves into a more melodic number and then fades out. Impressive beginning but it lacks a solid ending which sucks. For the next piece, cue the haunting piano and creepy children laughter...

"Erased" follows "Mass Destruction" which starts off with, well, a haunting piano intro with the laughter of children added in to darken things down a notch. But after that, musically speaking, we go right back into the same Thrash Metal flow with hints of melodic Metal thrown in to give each song a little diversity, but not much. The album follows this same pattern until we hit "My Shadow World", a moody and thoughtful bit of metal work that reins in the chaos in for a bit. Musically speaking it has an open feel to it due to the slower pace and key work and is a nice change in this brutal line up. Last but not least, "Vinter" is a dark and ethereal that has some really impressive leads and a touch of symphonic keys to add even more atmosphere. Great song to end the album on.

Well recorded with great sound coming from the guitars but gets a bit repetitive in the middle. For a rating I would say 7 out of 10. FEARED is getting better with every album, so I am certain their next offering will be spectacular. Until next time, stay well and live free.