Following on from the release of the ‘The Prowess Of Dormition’ EP, Vaarwel, the person behind the name Frozen Ocean, has produced a guide to what he sees as his kingdom, described as “a traveller’s almanac that reveals the breathtaking order within the daunting chaos”. ‘Transience’ is a compilation of fifteen remastered tracks, three previously unavailable, and when downloaded comes with cover art, created by Vaarwel himself, a selection of Frozen Ocean flyers, an original poem that explores the thoughts behind Transience and a set of wallpapers for the ‘A Perfect Solitude’ album. Vaarwel’ musical world is comprised of three kingdoms, the Aether, the Tether and the Nether, with each being formed from a different musical style.
Those three strands are recognisable as Blackened Metal, Dark Ambient and Post-Rock, and musically this is a strong combination of all three. Mostly electronic in its making, this album manages somehow to be mostly laid back and almost soothing, while also containing an edge of menace and darkness that allows the listener to understand that the world may not be all that it is supposed to be. Just listening to this makes me feel cold to the bone, even though it is bright sunshine outside and a balmy 25 degrees. When the guitars kick in, as on “Tredje Vind: Håndflate Av Stormen”, we are transported from the wastelands to a musical world where evil rules, and there is plotting going on the subterranean caves. It is in stark contrast to what has gone before, yet is also related and forms part of the musical whole.
Frozen Ocean have a wide and diverse discography, and Vaarwel has released this album as a way of providing a way into his project and understanding it (personally I had the same issue with Zappa, never really knew where to start, so in the end just dove in and am now a real fan). As Vaarwel says himself, “Projects with an enormous and varied discography are very difficult to perceive, even at a subliminal level. I could imagine that from the listener’s point of view, thus I prepared this for all of you who would like to attune with Frozen Ocean but didn’t know where to start. Transience itself is an inherent part of the Frozen Ocean artistic method, so it is completely representative within the choice of songs, including the previously unpublished ones. Transience is a piece of different, good music combined into one block, but moreover it is a safe and convenient passage through Frozen Ocean’s meandering discography. Welcome, and follow me...”
Vaarwel is offering this beautiful, expansive guide to the world of Frozen Ocean as a gift to those with the desire to discover, so is available free of charge, and is his way of opening the gates to all who would explore the ice shrouded sounds of his imagination. Just go to Bandcamp at
