Blood Oath
Frosttide
•
February 24, 2015

With a mighty hail from the land of Finns, the Folk Metal variety masters of FROSTTIDE bring forth their February 27th, 2015 release titled "Blood Oath"! Guess what? It's bloody brilliant! They have furthered their impressive Metal prowess and put their minds together to present to the world the latest offering, but only after ensuring that it was exactly what they wanted the audiences worldwide to hear! It is my and my peer's belief that this could be their "breakout" album, and we would love to see that happen, as it would be a deserving album to earn that distinction.
Beginning with an instrumental melody, "Prologue" is a great indicator of the epicness to swiftly follow. With a concoction of synthesizer, the sounds of orchestral atmospheres, and the occasional beat of a timpani, I got the sense that I was listening to a film score as the background music for a dynamic and revolutionary movie. After a brief daydream of soaring over snow-capped mountains, the music transitions directly into the title track of the album, and the sounds are very much on the melodic end of the spectrum. There are very Folky overtones in conjunction with a feel for AMON AMARTH-style Melodic Death Metal. Extremely fast tempos on percussion give the music the FROSTTIDE signature. A couple of features I found especially fun were a few measures in the style of FINNTROLL in "Traitor Within" (at the 1'50 mark and again at the 2'26 mark) and the constant synthesizer play, reminiscent of CHILDREN OF BODOM and STRATOVARIUS. (Does that make this FROSTTIDE album Progressive Folk Metal?)
Either way, the second half of the album really begins with the sixth song "Foreshadow". And by the name it's obvious, it does exactly that. The faint and pensive second instrumental of the album invokes a mystical wonder, as though one were looking up at the sunlight for the first time through the lens of the ocean, not sure what was being seen. Directly following, "New Reign" and "Winds of Wiinter's Call" are massive epilogues, totaling over eighteen minutes of combined playing time between the two.
Together with the likes of ENSIFERUM, FINSTERFORST, TURISAS, FINNTROLL, and TÝR, FROSTTIDE complete a list of bands on the heavier, darker side of Folk and Pagan Metal. This is some of the most unique and groundbreaking music as Folk Metal bands have only really scratched the surface of all the music that can be written and recorded. It takes extreme talent and creativity as made evident by this album and even as only their second album, it stands as a significant contribution to the still-rising popularity of the genre. So wear your hammer with pride and now be prepared to offer your eardrums to this revered and worthy "Blood Oath"!
9 / 10
Almost Perfect

"Blood Oath" Track-listing:
1. Prologue
2. Blood Oath
3. Gates of the Asylum
4. Fate Redefined
5. Traitor Within
6. Foreshadow
7. New Reign
8. Winds of Winter's Call
9. Apache (The Shadows-Cover)
10. One Night in Bangkok (Murray Head-Cover)
Frosttide Lineup:
Joni Snoro - Vocals, Guitar
Juho Patinen - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Joonas Nislin - Drums
Felipe Munoz - Keyboards, Backing Bocals
Lauri Myllylä - Bass, Backing vocals
More results...