''Whitefrozen'' is the 2003 debut EP by the Norwegian unblack and

Viking metal Viking metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by a lyrical and thematic focus on Norse mythology, Norse paganism, and the Viking Age. Viking metal is quite diverse as a musical style, to the point where some consider it more a cr ...

band

Vardøger Vardøger, also known as ''vardyvle'' or ''vardyger'', is a spirit predecessor in Scandinavian folklore. Stories typically include instances that are nearly déjà vu in substance, but in reverse, where a spirit with the subject's footsteps, voi ...

. Vardøger formed in 1994, under the name Hidden Paradise, as a side project of its constituent musicians.

Recording and release

Songs were recorded in 1995 through 1997, including a 24-minute track that has never been released, but due to the band members' other commitments, Vardøger did not manage to release any music at that time and the group disbanded. However, "Footprints of Thunder" was subsequently released on the

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

''In the Shadow of Death: A Scandinavian Extreme Music Compilation'' in 2000''.'' The band reformed in order to release more music, resulting in an EP in 2003 through Endtime Productions.

Style

On this release, the style performed by Vardøger was described as

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

mixed with

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

, black and

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

, and

. The song "Footprints of Thunder" was described as

symphonic black metal Symphonic black metal is a subgenre of black metal that emerged in the 1990s and incorporates symphonic and orchestral elements. Notable symphonic black metal bands include Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, and Carach Angren. History ...

. Johannes Jonsson described the songs on the EP as "slow black metal" and "slow majestic Viking Metal." Stefan Lang compared the sound of the titular song "Whitefrozen" to the output of

Amorphis Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band founded by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other genres, including progressive metal, an ...

. Overall, he found the sound of the band to be similar to

Schaliach Schaliach was a Christian metal band formed by Peter Dalbakk and Ole Børud from Hamar, Norway. Dalbakk served as the band's vocalist, while Børud handled all the instrumentation. The band released one studio album, '' Sonrise'', in 1996 through ...

, due to the presence of Dalbakk in both bands, except that Vardøger demonstrated a more black metal sound and was absent the contribution of Schaliach's other member,

Ole Børud Ole Børud (born December 6, 1976) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, producer, and engineer known both for his solo recordings and as a member of the groups Arnold B. Family, Schaliach, Extol, and Fleshkiller. Børud, son of t ...

. Matt Morrow described ''Whitefrozen'' as the place where "driving aggression frolics in the fields with haunting melodies. Where bells, chanting, ivory, and the marching of drums are welcome friends."

Reception

The EP was well-received, with

Ultimate Guitar Ultimate Guitar (Ultimate Guitar USA LLC), which is also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is an online platform for guitarists and musicians. Its website and mobile application provides guitar tablature catalogues and chord sheets. UG ...

describing it as a "classic." Stefan Lang of Powermetal.de was favorable to the album, stating that there was no question that the band had the potential to crawl above the average. '' HM'' writer Matt Morrow gave the album a full ten-out-of-ten, expressing his delight that the band had released more material after their compilation appearance. Writer Johannes Jonsson rated the album three-out-of-five, calling the EP "a really nice cd for everyone into slow black metal." He praised the vocals of Peter Dalbakk, which he considered better in this project than in Dalbakk's other band, Schaliach. Jonsson said that he could not get into the tracks "Desert Pale" and "Inferno", but that the other three songs on the EP were excellent. In a brief and retrospective review, Jakob Plantinga of Rocklife.nl said that while ''Whitefrozen'' was not a bad record, it was not particularly innovative.

Track listing

Personnel

* Alexander Dalbakk - Guitars * Knut Anders Sørum - Keyboards * Magnus Westgaard- Bass * Stian Aarebrot - Guitars, vocals * Robert Bordevik - Guitars, vocals * Peter Dalbakk - Vocals * Tom Arne Fossheim - Drums

References

{{Reflist Vardøger (band) albums 2003 debut EPs Viking metal albums Folk metal albums Folk rock albums by Norwegian artists Symphonic black metal EPs Symphonic metal albums by Norwegian artists