We here at AMG are impossible to please. Minnesota’s atmo-black four-piece Ashbringer have learned this the hard way. While we lavished praise across their discography, those who giveth can also taketh away. Ashbringer’s previous outing, We Came Here to Grieve, originally received glowing remarks. Unfortunately for them, resident shark and Ashbringer connoisseur, Carcharodon, decided, upon further reflection, that the clean singing on their previous outing brought the album to a screeching halt after time and distance brought clarity. So, as if in response, Ashbringer has returned with Subglacial, and there isn’t an ounce of clean singing to be found on the album, as it provides an incredibly stripped-back sound in comparison to their previous outings. I welcome artistic experimentation, but I frown upon the wholesale rejection of ideas due to criticism. So, does Subglacial herald a return to form? Creative stagnation? Or something in between altogether for these purveyors of atmospheric and heartfelt black metal?
For starters, Ashbringer went about creating Subglacial in a way I can wholeheartedly commend. Singer Nick Stanger and drummer Andy Meyer rented a house, brought the band in, and wrote, played, and recorded the entire album there. In Stanger’s own words, Ashbringer wanted to create a record that sounded as “us” as they possibly could while doing it in-house and spending no money; an admirable goal if I have ever heard one, and one that is apparent throughout the album. Subglacial is lean, especially compared to We Came Here to Grieve, but even in contrast to their earlier work. Scraping in at just under forty minutes, it makes for an incredibly tight piece that wastes no time. Stanger sticks to his trademark rasping growl, drumming is significantly less jazzy than on Absolution, and overall, it is heavier, hookier, and surprisingly free of auditory left-turns. Stanger and Jackson Catton’s guitarwork sticks to black metal staples: blistering tremolo riffs, cutting hooks, and atmospheric tangents. Subglacial is a no-frills, concise record where every element feels honed to be heavy, hooky, and emotive.
Subglacial is surprisingly predictable, with “Waning Conviction” being the only track that feels like it has shades of previous experimentation. Opening with ponderous acoustic strumming and laid-back drums, it builds for a while before lurching into a massive lead riff. Still, even this track feels tame (experimentally) compared to anything on We Came Here to Grieve. I agree that Stanger’s clean vocals needed work, but I don’t think the band should have thrown them out completely. Subglacial will likely be seen as a return to form for many, but I can’t help but lament what could have been. This is a record that feels incredibly safe for a band known for throwing out the rulebook. That isn’t to say Subglacial is bad; in fact, it is hard to find anything to complain about otherwise. The production is perfectly raw, keeping Stanger’s vocals fantastically legible while allowing for that atmo-black fuzz to creep in. It just shows you don’t need an expensive studio to record an album with wonderful sound. Every track feels essential, and this is a tight record in every sense of the word.
Subglacial is so concisely put together and so expertly played that it is hard to find flaws when looking at the whole. The opening track, “My Flesh Shows Its Weakness,” features everything you want from an Ashbringer song: atmospherics, a massive final riff, and the emotionality that the band is famous for. The guitar work on Subglacial is a standout, and every track has memorable riffs, monolithic hooks, or ass-kicking speed. Album standout “Send Him to the Lake” is an anthem, as Stanger screams “SEND HIM TO THE LAKE,” you can’t help but feel the conviction. The track features an ascending riff as a throughline, building and building, to an absolutely crushing crescendo, the atmo-black equivalent of an orgasm. Album closer “Vessels” mixes heaviness with the dreamy, ethereal sound of blackgaze alongside some head-spinning drumming from Meyer.
So, time for the part where I make you all upset. I loved the raw emotion, vulnerability, and sincerity of We Came Here to Grieve but Subglacial is too safe a step back. While the album is well-rounded, expertly played, and emotive, it lacks the audacity of their previous work. Ashbringer’s latest is no slouch, though, and while I thoroughly enjoyed their latest record, it didn’t quite blow me away like their previous work. Subglacial is as solid as ice, but time may chip at this berg to reveal something unremarkable when compared to Ashbringer’s larger output.
Rating: Very Good
DR: 11 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Bölverk Collective
Websites: ashbringermusic.com | instagram.com/ashbringermusic
Releases Worldwide: February 13th, 2026
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