Primalfrost – Lost Elegies
Release Date: 28th December 2021
Label: Self Released
Bandcamp
Genre: Epic Metal, Power Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Black Metal.
FFO: Wintersun, Wolfheart, Stormlord, Insomnium.
Review By: Rick Farley
In 2014, Primalfrost released their debut album. An album that was well received and showed serious promise for future releases. Main composer and Canadian mastermind Dean Paul Arnold was only seventeen years old at the time. That’s an impressive feat for such a young musician considering the quality of that album. Now seven years later, Primalfrost is finally releasing a new album.
Lost Elegies, just like the debut, is completely written, performed and recorded solely by Dean. In the seven years between albums, Dean’s been busy as a member of Vital Remains, Operus and most recently Belphegor. He also happens to be one of Metals best guitarists, making guest appearances on numerous albums amongst some of the elite. He’s very underrated and not mentioned nearly enough. Lost Elegies will change that and show that he’s also a tremendous songwriter.
If you’ve ever dreamt of being in battle beneath a Pagan-black sky amidst the bodies lying on the blood-spattered frosted ground, wielding your hoarfrost sword. You’re intensely advancing to deal the death blow upon your weakened enemy. The carrion birds are impatiently swirling to pick at the dead. Then Primalfrost is releasing your soundtrack. It’s epic, dramatic and symphonic textures fill the black sky with auditory vengeance. European Power and Melodic Death Metal driven with harsh vocals, the songs are catchy and memorable but still sound extremely brutal. Primalfrost delivers a near masterpiece in Extreme Metal. Wearing its influences with pride, it shines gloriously. The frantic riffs rip through the anthemic sounding orchestration beneath it like an oncoming sea of enemies. Huge canorous melodies permeate the Black Metal and Folky atmosphere that adds to the already fantastical compositions. Abrasive and savage vocals brutalize the listener with disregard. Nearly every song sounds like a medieval conflict between warring kingdoms. Each one delivering a rally cry, Lost Elegies is fierce, energetic, symphonic, melodic, brutal and beautifully written.
The guitars on this album are nothing short of incredible. Dean does a great job of writing kinetic, fast riffs that are still heavy and push the song forward. Often filled with compelling guitar harmonies, it’s nearly impossible to ever feel a lull in the music. A hybrid of Power Metal, Melodic Death Metal and Black Metal, the blazing riffs feel uplifting and battering at the same time. Full of Folk Metal moments, it gives the blackened guitar elements a slightly whimsical feel hidden within its darkness. There are several beautiful acoustic passages that give you a slight reprieve from all the fast tempo blood-soaked battle anthems. These passages give the fervent music a sense of found tranquillity, which give the album a good vs. evil, light vs. dark feel.
The solo work here is phenomenal, huge chunks of shred, tasteful and thoughtful guitar symmetries, the ability to articulate strong emotions through technical skill and feeling, with neoclassical inspired fretwork that’s sure to please any guitar junky listening. Dean has an incredible knack of seemingly choosing the exact right note in every solo. It all flows naturally with fluid proficiency.
Lost Elegies feels massive. Lush melodies, grandiose keyboard orchestrations, blistering metallic guitars and aggressive vocals form a memorable Cacophony of Extreme Metal. The ambitious fusing of Death, Power, Black and Folk Metal successfully composes a divergent whole. Primalfrost is in a league all its own. This will easily go down as a favourite of mine in 2021. To simply put it, though, this album fucking jams! 
(4.5 / 5)
