Frozen Crown are an Italian power metal band and this is their fifth album.
Frozen Crown, a band I’d never heard of before last year’s excellent Call of the North, did the completely unexpected with that album and came out of nowhere and topped my end of year list. Now that we have War Hearts, especially so soon after its predecessor, I was apprehensive before listening to it; could lightning strike twice?
It’s hard to compare the two albums really, as I know Call of the North so much better at this point, and that album took a good few months to properly seep into my brain and cause me to love it. I suspect War Hearts will be the same, only this time there isn’t as much time for me to soak it up as list season is quickly approaching. It’s also a different album in character though, with a narrower focus on the pure, catchy, anthemic side of the band’s songwriting arsenal.
War Hearts is shorter than Call of the North – 43 minutes vs 56, respectively. This is partially down to the new record having an unnecessary interlude as one of the tracks, but mainly down to the songs themselves being shorter and more direct. This is unexpected in some ways, as the band have added a new guitarist, which might have made you think they were broadening their sound into lengthier and more involved waters. Well, it has made their songs more intricate and technically layered, but alongside this Frozen Crown have reigned everything in so that the songs are tight and impactful.
This version of Frozen Crown is leaner in form, but denser in function. War Hearts is a collection of power metal songs that are short and punchy, trading on huge choruses, burning riffs, killer solos, and bright melodies. It’s a more straightforward album than Call of the North, with a reduced scope, while still boasting an expansion in melodic depth due to the additional guitarist.
The music is fast and energetic. It’s anthemic and loaded with hooks and catchiness. Frozen Crown know how to write a damn good power metal tune, that’s for sure. Driven by the infectious vocals of their lead singer and their now-triple-axe attack, Frozen Crown mean business.
Frozen Crown were probably wise to not try to repeat the pure majesty of Call of the North, and instead have crafted a different album that has a distinct personality of its own, separate, (but obviously closely related), to the band’s previous record. By focusing on a song-based traditional power metal approach, Frozen Crown have put together a strong release for fans of the style to lap up. I’m almost certain I’ll continue to prefer Call of the North overall in the long run, but War Hearts is still an impressive and enjoyable album.
War Hearts is compact and high energy. It’s true galloping power metal right down to its fiery core, and very addictive because of this. If you’re a fan of the style, don’t miss this.
Wonderbox Metal 