Hello everyone! Vanessa here, back with a new review: Relentless Grief by Frostbite!

Frostbite is a band from Montreal, Canada, that plays Blackened Death Metal. They have so far released two albums and an EP. After the first album, Etching Obscurity, in 2016, the band went on hiatus until last year, when they released Relentless Grief on November 1st. Blackened Death is something that I enjoy, so I was really happy that I could take a look at this!

The album begins with Unearthing Dread, a short instrumental introduction, that features atmospheric orchestrations and synths, sounding like a film score. The song seamlessly blends into Death Omen, which immediately kicks in with a proggy riff. This song really presents the full potential of the band, featuring some interesting harmonies, some Melodic Death elements and creative bass lines. I especially enjoyed the little clean guitar interlude, which leads over to a part with dual guitars playing in harmony. This song already is one of my personal highlights from this album.

Flagellants features more proggy riffing. The vocals on this song remind me of some early In Flames, something that I really like, while the next song, Void and Emptiness, has a nice melodic feel throughout. It carries a certain melancholia, but at the same time doesn’t omit any heaviness. Another seamless transition leads into Echoes of Eldritch Past, an interlude with piano and orchestrations that could go on forever.

Ravenous Possessions is Blackened Death at its best. I really enjoy that one. This is followed by Relentless Grief, the title track. This song has a proggy feel throughout and is quite a heavy track. After a slower intro, Omnia Perit really hits brutal. The chord progression creates a mysterious sound. The final transition leads into Existence Forlorn, which is more or less a reprise of Echoes of Eldritch Past and is a great ending for the album.

To sum it up, this is a solid album with an interesting mixture of styles! I really like the atmospheric and heavy elements. It is also well produced and you can certainly hear that the band knows what they’re doing. So if you think this is something for you, why not check it out on Bandcamp!