Whitefrozen

Whitefrozen
EP by Vardøger
Released	January 1, 2003
Genre	Unblack metal, Viking metal, folk metal, folk music, symphonic black metal
Length	19:04
Label	Endtime
Vardøger chronology

Whitefrozen is the 2003 debut EP by the Norwegian unblack and Viking metal band Vardøger. Vardøger formed in 1994, under the name Hidden Paradise, as a side project of its constituent musicians.[1][2]

Recording and release

Songs were recorded in 1995 through 1997, including a 24-minute track that has never been released, but due to the band members' other commitments, Vardøger did not manage to release any music at that time and the group disbanded.[1][2] However, "Footprints of Thunder" was subsequently released on the compilation album In the Shadow of Death: A Scandinavian Extreme Music Compilation in 2000.[3] The band reformed in order to release more music, resulting in an EP in 2003 through Endtime Productions.[1][4]

Style

On this release, the style performed by Vardøger was described as black metal mixed with folk music,[3][4] black and folk metal,[4] and Viking metal.[5] The song "Footprints of Thunder" was described as symphonic black metal.[3] Johannes Jonsson described the songs on the EP as "slow black metal" and "slow majestic Viking Metal."[5] Stefan Lang compared the sound of the titular song "Whitefrozen" to the output of Amorphis.[6] Overall, he found the sound of the band to be similar to Schaliach, due to the presence of Dalbakk in both bands, except that Vardøger demonstrated a more black metal sound and was absent the contribution of Schaliach's other member, Ole Børud.[6] Matt Morrow described Whitefrozen as the place where "driving aggression frolics in the fields with haunting melodies. Where bells, chanting, ivory, and the marching of drums are welcome friends."[3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Johannes Jonsson
Matt Morrow

The EP was well-received, with Ultimate Guitar describing it as a "classic."[7] Stefan Lang of Powermetal.de was favorable to the album, stating that there was no question that the band had the potential to crawl above the average.[6] HM writer Matt Morrow gave the album a full ten-out-of-ten, expressing his delight that the band had released more material after their compilation appearance.[3] Writer Johannes Jonsson rated the album three-out-of-five, calling the EP "a really nice cd for everyone into slow black metal."[5] He praised the vocals of Peter Dalbakk, which he considered better in this project than in Dalbakk's other band, Schaliach.[5] Jonsson said that he could not get into the tracks "Desert Pale" and "Inferno", but that the other three songs on the EP were excellent.[5] In a brief and retrospective review, Jakob Plantinga of Rocklife.nl said that while Whitefrozen was not a bad record, it was not particularly innovative.[8]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Desert Pale"	3:44
2.	"Footprints of Thunder"	3:11
3.	"Inferno"	3:16
4.	"Whitefrozen"	4:16
5.	"Silent Witness"	4:37
Total length:		19:04

Personnel

Alexander Dalbakk - Guitars
Knut Anders Sørum - Keyboards
Magnus Westgaard- Bass
Stian Aarebrot - Guitars, vocals
Robert Bordevik - Guitars, vocals
Peter Dalbakk - Vocals
Tom Arne Fossheim - Drums

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References

"Vardøger: Ghost Notes - Artwork". Page Black Design Bureau. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
Van Pelt, Doug (October 23, 2018). "Norway's VARDOGER Hang Up Their Instruments". Heavens Metal. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
Morrow, Matt (n.d.). "Vardoger - Whitefrozen". The Whipping Post. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
Jeffrey (January 30, 2017). "Vardøger - Ghost Notes". Metalfan.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-04-13.
Jonsson, Johannes (n.d.). "Christian Metal reviews, V". Metal for Jesus!. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
Lang, Stefan (January 12, 2005). "Review | VARDOGER - Whitefrozen". Powermetal.de (in German). Retrieved 2020-04-13.
Pro, Maria (January 25, 2018). "Christian Black Metal: 16 Bands You Need to Check Out". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
Plantinga, Jakob (January 11, 2016). "Vardøger – Ghost Notes". Rocklife.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2020.

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[:1-1] "Vardøger: Ghost Notes - Artwork". Page Black Design Bureau. Retrieved 2020-04-14.

[:12-2] Van Pelt, Doug (October 23, 2018). "Norway's VARDOGER Hang Up Their Instruments". Heavens Metal. Retrieved 2020-04-13.

[:4-3] Morrow, Matt (n.d.). "Vardoger - Whitefrozen". The Whipping Post. Retrieved 2020-04-13.

[:02-4] Jeffrey (January 30, 2017). "Vardøger - Ghost Notes". Metalfan.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-04-13.

[:8-5] Jonsson, Johannes (n.d.). "Christian Metal reviews, V". Metal for Jesus!. Retrieved 2020-04-13.

[:7-6] Lang, Stefan (January 12, 2005). "Review | VARDOGER - Whitefrozen". Powermetal.de (in German). Retrieved 2020-04-13.

[:9-7] Pro, Maria (January 25, 2018). "Christian Black Metal: 16 Bands You Need to Check Out". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved 2020-04-13.

[:2-8] Plantinga, Jakob (January 11, 2016). "Vardøger – Ghost Notes". Rocklife.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2020.