From the very first notes of Wings of Passing, the opening track on Frost’s Age of Fading and Doom, I wasn’t entirely sure what direction this album was going to take me. The introduction carries with it a haunting elegance, almost classical in its lilt, painting a picture of something delicate and mournful rather than savage or unrestrained. For a moment, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were about to embark on some kind of neoclassical journey. But then, around the 2:40 mark, the curtain drops, and the true heart of the record reveals itself. What follows is nothing short of a tsunami of near-perfect Black Metal, delivered with such power and conviction that it leaves no doubt: Age of Fading and Doom is a colossal achievement.
What immediately strikes you about Frost’s sound here is its sheer scale. This isn’t minimalistic Black Metal stripped down to its rawest bones; instead, it’s vast, towering, and multi-layered. The band lean heavily into Atmospheric and Symphonic Black Metal while never abandoning the raw aggression of the genre’s core. The result is a sound that’s both crushingly heavy and breathtakingly expansive, something that fills the room like a stormcloud rolling in, threatening to consume everything in its path.
That opening track sets the tone perfectly for what’s to come. The symphonic elements never feel tacked on or overindulgent — instead, they weave seamlessly into the fabric of the music, heightening the drama without softening the edges. When the riffs crash down, they do so with devastating force. When the blast beats hit, they drive the momentum forward with unrelenting ferocity. And when the atmosphere swells, it does so in a way that feels natural, even necessary, giving the aggression a sense of grandeur rather than drowning it in excess.
Across the album’s runtime, Frost demonstrate an impressive ability to balance these different strands of Black Metal. On one hand, you have the icy aggression that fans of traditional Black Metal will crave: tremolo-picked riffs, relentless drumming, vocals that sound as though they’ve been torn from a throat scorched by acid. On the other hand, you have passages that are sweeping, symphonic, and cinematic, the kind of moments that open the music up into something far larger than the sum of its parts. And then there’s the atmospheric side of Frost’s craft — slower, more contemplative passages that give you space to breathe before the next wave of devastation hits. It’s this interplay between fury and atmosphere, between chaos and control, that makes Age of Fading and Doom such a compelling listen.
One of the album’s greatest strengths is its ability to surprise without ever losing coherence. Tracks shift and evolve in ways that keep you hooked, refusing to settle into predictable patterns. A song may begin with blistering ferocity before opening out into a vast, melodic expanse; or it may build slowly, layering atmosphere upon atmosphere, before exploding into a maelstrom of noise. This dynamic approach ensures that even as the record leans heavily on Black Metal traditions, it never feels stale or derivative. Frost are clearly paying homage to the past while still pushing the genre into the future, crafting something that feels both familiar and fresh.
The production plays a huge role in how effective the record is. Everything is clear, balanced, and powerful, but not without a bloodstained edge. The guitars roar with fire and frost, the drums pound with relentless precision, and the vocals cut through the mix with vicious clarity. Most importantly, the sheer scale of the sound is preserved — this is music that feels massive, cavernous, almost overwhelming at times, and the production captures that immensity perfectly.
What makes Age of Fading and Doom truly special, though, is its emotional weight. For all its aggression and fury, the album carries with it a sense of melancholy and grandeur that lingers long after the last note fades. It’s music that doesn’t just batter you with sound, but also pulls you into its world, making you feel the cold winds and endless night it evokes. It’s Black Metal as it should be: uncompromising, atmospheric, and utterly consuming.
With Age of Fading and Doom, Frost have delivered an album that deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as the greats. It’s ambitious without being bloated, ferocious without being one-dimensional, and atmospheric without being indulgent. In short, it’s everything you could want from a Black Metal record, and then some.
Age of Fading and Doom is available via the Frost Bandcamp page.
CHOICE CUT: All of them. Seriously. There isn’t a single piece of filler anywhere on this album.
The Black Metal Archives Verdict: A towering achievement, a record that captures the essence of Black Metal while pushing its boundaries with sheer scale and ambition.
