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You rarely find a folk metal band that doesn’t go the whole nine yards.

So when Grimner introduced their second album Frost Mot Eld with a video of them dressed in cloaks and fur, smeared in blood and surrounded by a bleak Nordic landscape, it wasn’t a big surprise. Even better, one of the guys, Johan ‘Rambo’ Rydberg, headbangs while playing the flute. So if you want folk with a touch of overkill, Grimner are worth checking out.

The aforementioned flute plays a big part in the Swedes’ repertoire along with bagpipes and a mandola (a bass mandolin more often seen in acoustic folk troupes), but on the flipside, you’ve got Ted Sjulmark’s growls and riffs aplenty, which make Grimner sound like lovechild of Finntroll, Korpiklaani and Ensiferum. Spirited and forthright, Frost Mot Eld is a nice balance of heavy metal and folk.

It’s the sort of music you can imagine in a fusty tavern where Vikings slam tankards and regale each other with tales of bloodthirst. Don’t expect a singalong as all the lyrics are in Grimner’s native Swedish, but you might have the urge to air flute.

With over 10 years’ experience writing for Metal Hammer and Prog, Holly has reviewed and interviewed a wealth of progressively-inclined noise mongers from around the world. A fearless voyager to the far sides of metal Holly loves nothing more than to check out London’s gig scene, from power to folk and a lot in between. When she’s not rocking out Holly enjoys being a mum to her daughter Violet and working as a high-flying marketer in the Big Smoke.