It's been a very strong year for power metal. It's a sub-genre that's always well represented on the amazing 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise at the beginning of the year, bands have been all over the world and most importantly, we've had some truly excellent albums from the field in 2024. Firewind easily retained their place as power metal kings of Greece with "Stand United," while more recently, Dragony unleashed the superb concept album, "Hic Svnt Dracones," and some of the finest Italian bands like Wind Rose and Frozen Crown released impressive albums. Of course, given its history of quality metal, Sweden has to make their presence known too, and such is the case with the third Brothers Of Metal album, "Fimbulvinter."

Much has been said about Brothers Of Metal over the course of their relatively short career, including some negative or mocking tones regarding their over-the-top nature and corny lyrics. Listening to "Fimbulvinter," it's easy to see where these points of view come from, but the octet certainly knows how to make these things work for them. Case in point, "Flight Of The Ravens" regales the listener with a description of Odin's birds, accompanied by wild, shredding guitars and a lean towards the side of power metal that takes heed from thrash. One could say the same for "Heart Of Stone," which isn't one of the best tracks on the record, and lyrically it sounds like it could actually be about the famous wrestler, The Undertaker, but the strong, marching rhythm backs them up well and it's easy to hear what attracts fans.

There is certainly no shortage of highlights, however, such as "Chasing Lights," which becomes more enjoyable as it goes along thanks to its upbeat approach. Elsewhere, "Blood Red Sky" is a wonderful take on the kind of inn sing-alongs traditional in Europe, and seen in many fantasy movies and video games, though it adds more to this style with a beautiful melody, making it one of the most memorable tracks on the album. "The Other Son Of Odin," another highlight and released in advance as a single, channels the Firewind sound, with an overt reference to the Judas Priest staple, "Breaking The Law" and some guitar parts somewhat akin to the Gary Moore and Phil Lynott collaboration, "Out In The Fields."

Still, the bag of tricks goes deeper. Things get pretty fierce with "Berserkir," as one would expect given the subject matter. This is followed by, "Nanna's Fate," a sweeping epic that showcases a more mature songwriting approach. "Giantslayer" is also notable for its menacing tone. There are a few negatives, however, including the aforementioned lyrical style, which is almost too cheesy to bear on "Heavy Metal Viking." This song actually featured beeps over the swearing, at least in the press copy that I was listening to, so I hope this isn't the case for the final edition of the album, because nothing is more jarring than beeps in a song. One also has to wonder why the band has three vocalists when at least ninety percent is handled by Ylva Eriksson, who does an excellent job throughout.

Only food and oxygen are for everyone, so it feels kind of redundant to say that it won't be to everyone's tastes, and if you're someone who makes fun of power metal, you'll see some of these songs as more ammo for your arsenal. However, power metal fans know that not everything needs to be taken completely seriously and that's the way to listen to "Fimbulvinter." It's not a joke by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a lot of fun. There are plenty of high-quality songs to enjoy, many coming from different areas of the power metal spectrum and so for fans of the genre, it's another winner. The year of power metal continues!