GRIMTONE Polaris CD

The 2022 album Polaris by the Swedish black metal band Grimtone, released through the Portuguese label War Productions, is a freezing and atmospheric tribute to the classic Nordic sound. As the band's forth full-length effort, the record spans approximately 38 minutes and features a raw, melancholic production that avoids modern artifice in favor of the tremolo-heavy intensity characteristic of the Swedish second wave. The project is primarily the work of multi-instrumentalist Michael Lang, who composed the guitars and bass, while vocal duties were shared between Ovilus and Horgmo, creating a varied but cohesive vocal delivery that shifts between agonizing shrieks and dark commands. The tracklist flows through eight compositions that balance aggressive speed with somber, mid-tempo passages, beginning with Creed of Hate and moving into the title track Streams of Polaris. The record continues with haunting pieces such as Calls of the Bells, Burning the Rye, and the particularly intense The Ghost Collector, before concluding with the evocative Snow Falling on Cinders. Lyrically and visually, the album is deeply rooted in themes of darkness, winter, and spiritual desolation, complemented by stark winter-themed artwork. Issued as a strictly limited professional CD edition of just 100 copies by War Productions, Polaris solidified Grimtone’s reputation as a project capable of capturing the bleak, unforgiving essence of the Scandinavian wilderness.