Sad melodic piano greets you when you first hit play on The Mourning Frost by Eisige Venen. It is hauntingly beautiful and leads you to believe that you are about to head off on a wistful journey through the human soul. Which you are, to a degree, right up until the one minute mark where all hell breaks loose and this soft and calming escapade catches fire like an inferno with unbridled Black Metal fanning the flames.
It is an introduction like no other that states; Welcome to The Mourning Frost. Welcome to The Eternal Parade. Welcome to Eisige Venen in all their brutal Black Metal glory.
There are four tracks out of a possible six for you to devour ahead of the full release of The Mourning Frost, and each morsel on offer is an exquisitely deliciously soaked bite of violent introspection, of cosmic horrors so frightening that they will turn the blood in your veins to ice, and – surprisingly – of love that will conquer and possess all in its path.
Musically, Eisige Venen have an undeniable Black Metal sound that will invoke comparisons to Mayhem and Dark Throne, but where as they were very low-fi in their approach to their records – at least the early ones – Eisige Venen embrace a production sound that is so vast and all consuming that you find yourself in the middle of the record, watching every tale unfold before you, rather than being on the outside looking in.
You feel part of everything that is going on within The Mourning Frost. You feel intwined with the guitar riffs, you feel every heartbeat of the rhythm section, you are wrapped up in the almost angelic keys and piano that dance like fireflies past your eyes, and the shredded voice you hear pouring out its heart becomes your voice. Simply put, The Mourning Frost is a living, breathing entity that will cast you as its main character, whether or not you want it to.
I cannot heap enough praise on this record or Eisige Venen for what they have managed to achieve with it so far. Not only is it musically superb with brilliantly written lyrics, it also manages to place you in the eye of the storm so you can experience everything it has to offer, as if it was specifically created just for you.
If you want to see just what I’m talking about then head on over to the Eisige Venen Bandcamp page and check them out for yourself.
