Frozen Crown is a female-fronted Italian power metal quintet and Crowned in Frost is its second full length record in its third year of existence. Lead singer Giada Etro is also involved in gothic metal band Ashes You Leave. Guitarist Thalìa Bellazecca is only eighteen years old but has recently been collaborating with Russian thrash metal band Pokerface. Keyboardist, guitarist and additional vocalist Federico Mondelli has the most experience of the quintet and has been the guitarist and singer of overlooked gothic doom metal band Dirty Rain. These influences show that Frozen Crown isn't your ordinary power metal band. Even though the quintet plays power metal with symphonic keyboard sounds and neoclassical  guitar melodies, the band sound is at times fast and gritty as it flirts with heavy and thrash metal elements while the male vocals even occasionally add death metal stylistics to a few select songs.

This interesting potpourri works particularly well in the band's more epic tracks. ''Winterfall'' combines melodic but grounded female vocals filled with passion and power with occasional male growls that give the song an almost theatrical dimension without ever sounding overwhelming. The musicianship is equally adventurous and mixes uplifting melodic passages with gritty fast parts shifting from symphonic power metal to a mixture of death and thrash metal in a most versatile way. The closing title track ''Crowned in Frost'' that is introduced with a smooth instrumental prelude entitled ''Enthroned'', has a very similar combination of styles but with less extreme and surprising changes that make for a less adventurous but more fluid result.

If you like symphonic power metal with grounded vocals that occasionally walks off the beaten path with death and thrash metal elements, then you should give these promising youngsters a chance. Frozen Crown seems to be releasing inspired high-quality records at an impressive rhythm and has already established its very own style that sounds like no other power metal band I have recently been coming across. Give the very good Crowned in Frost a few spins and if you like it, you may even purchase the Japanese version which includes a wonderful cinematic keyboard instrumental called ''The King's Rest'' that closes the record enchantingly after the vivid title track.

Final rating: 78%

Vietnamese septet Black Infinity offers an entertaining mixture of melodic death and gothic metal on its debut full length record 666 Metal. The group around lead singer Nguyễn Tiến Hưng plays a broad spectrum from elegiac gothic rock ballads such as ''Embracing Hearts'' to furious melodic death metal outbursts like ''Deathbed Illusion''. The band seems inspired by Scandinavian metal and one could perhaps describe their style as a mixture of Children of Bodom and HIM.

An outstanding highlight on this debut album is ''The Secret'' which was included on a global metal compilation of the British Metal Hammer magazine shortly after its initial release. The song comes around with enchanting, liberating and melodic Asian folk sounds intertwined with fast-paced melodic death metal outbursts and dynamic changes offered by the rhythm section. The record includes other remarkable tunes like ''Apocalyptic'' with soft female guest vocals and an unusually long running time cracking the seven-minute mark.

Since the record is quite diversified, there are also a few songs that must be described as failed experiments. The plodding closing ballad ''...And Farewell'' with its elegiac keyboard sounds and breathed aqualung vocals might only impress thirteen-year old goth chicks. The instrumental interlude with the grammatically incorrect title ''When Her Love on Fire'' goes nowhere and the decent melodies would have benefited from a properly developed song structure with actual vocals.

Despite a production that occasionally misses oomph and two weaker tunes, Black Infinity's stereotypically titled 666 Metal is actually a decent debut that combines dynamic melodic death metal with atmospheric gothic metal layers that make for a quite unique band sound. The group's will to experiment might make for a few odd moments here and there but also offers a few intriguing results. Traditionalists might be at a loss but younger audiences with an open mind should give this pioneering metal band from Vietnam a chance by checking out their promising debut.

Final rating: 75%

I have come across the name of European power metal veterans Iron Savior on numerous occasions and I thought that the band's new record Kill and Get Killed would be a good occasion to finally check the German quartet out. The band plays a more serious and sinister type of power metal that doesn't have much to do with Helloween but sounds rather closer to Primal Fear. The group is also influenced by classic heavy metal and especially the works of Dio shine through on several occasions. A few technically impressive guitar and keyboard sounds also flirt with progressive elements but it would be a stretch to call the band a progressive power metal band since the group's basic style remains rooted in heavy and power metal stylistics and the songwriting is overall fairly conservative and predictable.

On the positive side, the record's grounded production adds some welcome grit. The guitar play finds the perfect balance between melodic solos and gripping riffs. The bass guitar sounds are perfectly audible, energetic and versatile. The drum play on the other side could be a little bit more adventurous from time to time. Even though the band doesn't have an official keyboard player, several tracks feature a few slightly futuristic electronic sound samples that add atmospheric layers to the different songs. The melodic yet gritty vocals find the perfect mixture between classic heavy metal and grounded power metal inspirations.

The songwriting is clearly the band's least convincing department. Many tracks sound quite exchangeable. Even though they are solid individually, the end up sounding somewhat tiring in the long run. Still, there are a few truly great tunes on this output. The opening title track ''Kill or Get Killed'' doesn't take any prisoners as it opens with gripping melody and relentless speed before adding an epic and nearly cinematic atmosphere that makes this song the best on the record. The epic ''Until We Meet Again'' is nearly equally strong as it convinces with ambitious guitar play and slightly progressive sound samples but never overstays its welcome thanks to concise song structure and a catchy chorus. Mid-paced hard rock anthem ''From Dust and Rubble'' could also come from Accept and convinces with liberating energy. The closing ''Legends of Glory'' is a perfect match between gritty heavy metal and epic melodic power metal elements with a chorus worthy of a national anthem that ends the album on a high note.

In the end, Iron Savior's Kill or Get Killed should appeal to fans of melodic heavy metal and gritty power metal alike. If you like bands like Rebellion, Primal Fear and Jorn, you can't go wrong here. The record convinces with genuine energy and passion and grows with every spin. The album has a clear guiding line and distinctive sound even though the songwriting could be more adventurous and some songs end up sounding exchangeable. The Japanese edition features a generous amount of bonus tracks including convincing cover tracks, new versions of the band's own classics, alternative versions of the title song and an exclusive new track. Even though the final result isn't particularly spectacular, the band is aware of its strengths and trademarks as it delivers one of the best heavy and power metal albums of the year so far.

Final rating: 80%

Arctic is an intense survival drama that convinces with raw acting performances, beautifully bleak landscapes and a realistic plot that convinces from start to finish. The story revolves around a middle-aged man who crashed his small plane somewhere in the Arctic Circle which killed the only other passenger on board. His daily routine consists of checking fishing lines for food, mapping his surroundings and running a distress beacon with a dynamo. One day, a small helicopter approaches but just when the survivor thought he would be rescued at last, the helicopter crashes in the snowstorm, killing the pilot instantly and injuring the young female passenger very seriously. The middle-aged man attempts to nurse the young woman back to health. She can hardly move nor speak and the two characters can barely communicate. The middle-aged man finds a map inside the crashed helicopter that identifies a camp that seems to be located at about two days of walking distance. He decides to go on this journey with the injured woman but the woman's difficult condition, fading hope, rough landscapes, a hungry polar bear and difficult weather conditions decrease their chances of survival.

The movie convinces with stellar acting performances with no dialogues only very few monologues. Danish veteran actor Mads Mikkelsen had already proven in the past to be able to entertain despite the absence of dialogues in the experimental Valhalla Rising. He does it again in this more accessible film and his body language and facial expressions are stunningly realistic. The landscapes are beautiful yet bleak as the survivors travel through polar deserts, climb icy mountains and discover hidden cages underneath the ice. The plot is surprisingly realistic for a survival drama as the main character is quite intelligent and does everything he can to guarantee his partner's and his own survival. Despite his pragmatic approach, fate doesn't seem to be on his side and has logical mental and physical consequences. The film's unusual ending also offers some food for thought.

Along with the brilliant Jungle which is based upon a true story under quite different circumstances, Arctic is one of the greatest survival dramas ever made and easily beats unjustifiably acclaimed movies like the unrealistic The Mountain Between Us. This film doesn't offer romantic escapism but bleak survival horror which is the only acceptable approach for this type of story. A more light-hearted version would be an insult to anyone who suffered similar fates in real life. Arctic is grippingly realistic which helps viewers empathize with the character of one the world's greatest actors. If you like survival dramas, this film is a mandatory reference for you and you should purchase this film once you have stopped reading my review.

Greta is a very good psychological thriller that convinces with excellent actresses, gloomy atmosphere and sinister tension from start to finish.

The film starts very quickly and the main plot is introduced in the first five minutes already which is a very dynamic approach. A young female student who has recently lost her mother and now lives estranged from her father with a dynamic roommate finds a purse in a subway. She decides to bring the purse to her owner, an elderly and lonely lady who lives estranged from her daughter and has lost her husband and dog. The student pities the lady, buys a new dog with her and starts meeting her regularly despite her roommate's doubts. One day, the student discovers that the lady is hiding several bags identical to the one she had found in a closet and realizes that the old lady specifically places them around town in order to meet new people. The young student stops seeing the lady but the latter is obsessed with and keeps stalking her. The more the young student tries to escape from her, the more determined the elderly lady gets to win her back by any means necessary.

The acting performances in this psychological thriller are particularly outstanding. Chloë Grace Moretz convinces as empathic, fragile and good-mannered student who falls into a dangerous trap. Isabelle Huppert delivers the goods as dangerous, egocentric and unstable widow who takes advantage of the young student's weaknesses and who has some skeletons in her closet.

Thanks to a well-paced start, the movie quickly creates a sinister atmosphere. The first signs that something is amiss with the elderly lady are already present in the first ten minutes of the film. She brutally bangs against a wall in her own house to prevent the neighbours from making too much noise. She immediately tells episodes of her tormented life to a complete stranger. She makes philosophical remarks pretending to know the desires of a young woman she has just met. From then on, things slowly spiral out of control as the strange old lady becomes a most dangerous psychopath who is nevertheless underestimated far too long.

The tension rises throughout the film. The viewer can empathize with the young lead character who initially feels intrigued by the elderly lady, then confused and upset and progressively scared and terrified. The exposition is appropriately short, the rising action is intensively detailed, the climax is shocking, the falling action is eventful and even the resolution leaves you on an uneasy note that walks off the beaten path.

The story of a dangerous stalker might not be completely new and some twists are easily predictable. Still, the exceution of this movie is particularly gripping thanks to brilliant actresses, gloomy atmosphere and rising tension leading to a memorable ending. Anyone who likes psychological thrillers should watch this movie.