The first thing that happened to me when I hit play on the first song, ‘Mare Imbrium’, the first seven seconds, was that it took me to SLAYER’s ‘Evil Has No Boundaries’. To the first riffs. That hooked me right away. But of course, from the seventh second on, the song, with that kick drum hit at the beginning, incorporates the band’s defined personality and moves away from that feeling it generated in me. FROSTLAND is a Black Metal band from Germany and presents themselves with their new album titled “Im Zentrum Der Leere” this 2026. They started in 2006, 20 years ago, and already have three demos, an EP and an album under their belts. For eight years, the band had remained silent, but they return to the ring with this new album “Im Zentrum Der Leere”, a six-song album lasting a little over 50 minutes. Their members have been almost exclusive musicians for the band and have had little participation in other projects, which implies that FROSTLAND is therefore their main band. Going through the songs on the album, it is easy to identify many characteristic elements of Black Metal, but I must say I was left with a conceptual dualism: I like the band, I like the sound, I like the musical definition, the atmosphere, the vibe their songs create, but I didn’t get along very well with “MZ”’s voice. Especially in the parts where the vocals are raspy. I find it more pleasant in those parts where the voice is more guttural. But, well, that is just a subjective thing and of no importance. ‘Hypnos’ is a very brutal track. It has everything I would want in a Black Metal song. It is dynamic, melodic, technical (what a word) and is perfectly balanced on that base rhythm that makes you sway your head from side to side when listening to it. Something I liked is that, overall, despite the songs being long (the shortest one, which is ‘Mare Imbrium’, the first one, lasts 7 minutes, 25 seconds) and yet, I never got bored with any of the six songs. Which proves that the musicians know their stuff. I have always been nostalgic, so listening to a song that opens with a guitar intro like the one in ‘Der Interstellare Einsiedler’ will hook me because it will hook me. That melody is beautiful, which they also sustain throughout the song and is the backbone of it, which implies that FROSTLAND places special importance on melancholy. And of course, that fits with the themes, always deep and existential, that they have developed throughout the band’s history. About philosophical and existentialist things… It doesn’t surprise me then that a band like this focuses its efforts on reminding us of the decadence of life sometimes. It will always be good for someone to remind us. And that is the definition I am left with for FROSTLAND, a band that is deep, and very close to reflective thinking encapsulated in music that reflects all of that. Here is more information: www.facebook.com/frostlandblackmetal, http://frostland.bandcamp.com