Review: Vintersorg – Vattenkrafternas Spel

Style: black metal, folk metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Borknagar, Moonsorrow, Enslaved, Windir
Country: Sweden
Release date: 26 September 2025

Sometime in the mid-to-late ‘00s, folk metal was all the rage, and you best believe I was all about it. I couldn’t get enough—not only of the classics like Ensiferum’s first couple of albums and everything Moonsorrow had released, but also of the contemporaneous bands that, in retrospect, frankly weren’t that great, like Thyrfing, Einherjer, Finntroll, Korpiklaani, and their ilk. At least among my friends and me, the scene was a flash in the pan. For a year or two, a bunch of Southern California high schoolers attended the influx of concerts headed by our favorite Nordic bands, playing those anthemic Northern melodies while singing about goblins and trolls and shit. Then, we all just kind of grew out of it. So goes life. 

Vattenkrafternas Spel, the latest release from Swedish veterans Vintersorg, takes the folk-forward sound that was in vogue years ago and refines it into something enjoyable nearly twenty years later for reasons other than nostalgia alone. The band’s penchant for bouncy triplets, infectious melodies, and grandiose orchestration might pull me back toward high school, but the blackened passages and progressive nature of it all keep the sound in line with current tastes. It’s like Vintersorg occupy some sort of liminal space between 2007 and 2025. Let’s see how they fill it.

The album’s defining feature, and what draws so many to music from the northernmost countries to begin with, is its atmosphere. If I close the blinds to block out my apartment’s view of blue skies and palm trees, I’m transported right into the gorgeous winterscape that adorns Vattenkrafternas Spel’s cover. In addition to the constant, rich orchestration and crisp production, the vocals from founder and band leader Andreas Hedlund are largely responsible for this. Delivered entirely in Swedish, Hedlund’s smooth cleans, melodic chants, and trollish harshes sound like a frostbitten fairytale to my foreign ears. The transportive effect is at its most powerful in the standout opener “Efter Dis Kommer Dimma,” where the beautiful singing of guest vocalist Johanna Lundberg complements Hedlund’s performance. The track’s chorus is especially magnificent, as the two provide a lush, beautifully layered refrain following driving, energetic verses. Throughout its nine tracks, the album’s mood oscillates between varying shades of light and dark, never losing its majestic, epic feel.

Although the orchestrations and vocals comprise Vattenkrafternas Spel’s core, plenty of strong guitar work surges beneath. Icy tremolos set the tone at the start of “Störtsjö,” while winding, punchy triplets give a nice contrast after the song’s singable chorus. Meanwhile, the second half of “Malströmsbrus” has some particularly fun, blackened riffing, and “Ur Älv Och Å” and “Ödsliga Salar” each feature a sleek guitar solo. The drums form a reliable backbone; they’re not flashy, but their rhythmic variance is smooth and natural, keeping the album moving forward at just the right pace. The bass guitar, however, could be more active. A few more deviations from the root note and interesting fills would have given the record that extra instrumental flair. Still, the guitar, drums, and bass create a sturdy platform for the vocals and orchestrations while offering some compelling moments of their own. 

Where the release falters a bit is in its lack of variety. Aside from the chorus of “Efter Dis Kommer Dimma,” the rest are perhaps too similar across the album, and the heavily orchestral verses and bridges also begin to blur together. After the first two tracks—each a highlight—my focus slowly begins to erode, and by the final track it’s mostly gone. Fortunately, the wonderfully moody second half of closer “Ödsliga Salar” snaps my brain back to attention before the record ends. And in any event, the album’s atmosphere is so satisfying that I’ll happily let it play even if I’m not fully engaged. But at a sixty-minute runtime, Vattenkrafternas Spel would certainly benefit from broader exploration and diversity in its compositions. 

Ultimately, Vintersorg dress up folk metal and present it as more than a simple gimmick, and even if a little bloated and homogenous, they’ve delivered an addictive album. The melodies and vocals are top-notch, and they combine with the sweeping orchestration to create an atmosphere that’s undeniable—few releases so readily transport me from Southern California to an enchanted Scandinavian winter. Even though my taste has moved on over the years, Vattenkrafternas Spel would have grabbed me half a lifetime ago, and I still find a lot to enjoy in it now.

Recommended tracks: Efter Dis Kommer Dimma, Störtsjö, Ödsliga Salar
You may also like: Finsterforst, Dordeduh, Negură Bunget, In the Woods…, Tersivel
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Hammerheart Records

Vintersorg is:
– Andreas “Vintersorg” Hedlund (vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming)
– Mattias Marklund (guitars)
– Simon Lundström (bass)
With guests:
– Johanna Lundberg (vocals on “Efter Dis Kommer Dimma”)
– Roy Peter Wester (keyboards on “Ödsliga Salar”)