Daemonian – The Frost Specter’s Wrath

Daemonian is a project from the mind of “Lord Metal”, who has already unleashed a plethora of releases under different acts such as In Nothingness, Ancient Cosmos, etc. With each project, the musician pays homage to a distinct sound or regional scene. Glancing over the art cover for about 5 seconds will already give a very clear hint about the musical direction that Lord Metal has decided to embark on, with the grim reaper that looms front and centre being a nod to the legendary Dissection and the grandiose work of Necrolord.

However, you would be wrong to assume that Daemonian is a mere Dissection copycat. Just like with his other projects, Lord Metal attempts to capture the essence of a whole movement rather than one band. What is on display here is a full homage to the magic of the 90s Swedish Black Metal scene – with acts such as Marduk, Sacramentum, Dark Funeral, etc. This album is made more impressive that it is a one-man act and the way that each element has been carefully curated. The icy, piercing tremolo picked riffs that evoke a sense of wonder and of a chilly winter night are paired with relentless and piercing double bass that perfectly balances melody and brutality. Lord Metal’s vocal performance are a good mixture of black metal shrieks with some growls thrown that gives it excellent range. All of this is accentuated by a fantastic production job, something which was a weak point in the debut (‘Endless Corridor’). The way the album is mixed makes the song more vivid and allows each of the instruments to shine through.

Yet what distinguishes an album like The Frost Specter’s Wrath from the competition is a adherence to making the songs memorable and with several layers built on top of each song by easily transitioning between gorgeous guitar leads and furious blast beats. One only has to listen to a track like ‘Hatred Kills Sorrow’ with its epic intro that showcases a lot of the beauty present. Yet if I had to pick a track that showcases the versality of the album, it would be ‘Eternal Winter Black’, with its ebb and flow between guitar leads, frantic percussion, sorrowful acoustic guitar and a piercing guitar solo to boot.

Many bands are happy to just emulate their musical idols without adding their own spin on it. Daemonian is not that type of band, but rather one that understands the necessity of balancing homage with identity. If you had told me this was a lost recording from Sweden circa 1996, it wouldn’t surprise me at all. For all fans of the mid 90s Melodic Black metal Sound, this is a must have.