Freja's Ethereal Atmospheric Metal Whispers "Of Those Stricken by Fate" (Early Track Stream)

March 21, 2022

Further proving exactly how potent Roadburn is as a creative wellspring, Dutch atmospheric metal band Freja formed due to one of its collaborative efforts: while working on the commissioned piece “Maalstroom” for Roadburn 2019, members C. (Witte Wieven) and W. (Laster, Verval) found common creative ground and chose to explore it further, leading to their upcoming debut release Tides. Fittingly, they’ll be playing this year’s Roadburn to coincide with the album’s release, and the shimmering intensity it contains ought to go over exceptionally well there.

Ranging from exacting black metal to staggering post-metal and pensive ambience, Tides highlights metal’s massive potential for immersion. Stretching beyond simply chaining together riffs into songs, the band turns stories of myth and legend into emotional voyages that never retrace their steps.

On the track “Of Those Stricken by Fate,” which we’re premiering below, Freja ventures into quiet stillness, overlaying delicate guitar melodies with echoing vocals and a distant drumbeat. The harsher sides of their sound are absent here, but in their place rises a haunting majesty that gets the hairs on the back of the neck standing up. Listen here:

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