After 10 years of bringing music to the world, Grima are releasing their sixth full length album. Packed with atmospheric black metal out of Siberia this album should not be missed, with 10 thrilling tracks that can quench any metalheads thirst. This twin brother duo Vilhelm and Morbius continue in the next chapter of their story to bring us an album that is set to honor the spirit of the Siberian Forest, Taiga.
The album starts with a calm yet unsettling introduction named 'Intro (Cult)' before moving into the first full track, 'Beyond the Dark Horizon'. This fairly typical black metal track features a repeated bass riff with Vilhelm's impressive roaring vocals, and a short-lived but satisfying guitar solo at the tail end. Throughout the album, instruments like the Russian accordion are used to bring the true sound of folk to their tracks. The next track 'Flight of the Silver Storm' is a longer one with a six minute run time, and this track features a repeating melody built with layers of strings to create a melancholic, almost apocalyptic feeling within the listener.
The fourth track on the album, 'Skull Gatherers', opens with an earthy acoustic guitar riff and features electronic synths in the background before plunging into the grit of the song. The song kicks into the classic Grima sound, with builds and breaks that present opportunities for prime head banging at live events.
'Impending Death Premonition' opens with an intro that doesn't exactly seem to lead anywhere until about a minute in, whereby the double time drumming - paired with the same repeated riff - create an impressive segment to grasp the listener. Another segment provides a choir-like layering to the screaming vocals that, although quiet, makes for a pleasant change to the sound of the album.
The next track 'The Nightside' is over seven minutes long and entails the same sound as the rest of the album, with a repeating riff and varying drum speeds, however the track does slow into a stripped guitar instrumental about half way, through before featuring not one but two enormous screams from the vocalist of the brothers, Vilhelm.
The seventh track on this album is called 'When We Are Lost'. The intro brings a foreboding sense of doom with its desolate chords, and throughout it the song utilizes more melodic elements like guitar and keys to build throughout the song. This is a stand out track on the album, whilst it is one of the longer tracks it is definitely worth a listen for anyone looking for their fix of black metal.
'Curse of the Void' uses a 3/4 time signature, which separates it from the rest of the album, and features the best drumming of the ten tracks, fast paced and impactful grooves to really make your heart race and wonder where the track could possibly go next. During the last minute of the track, there's a wistful guitar solo that then peters out into an atmospheric instrumental at the end.
The last full track on the album 'Mist and Fog' is perhaps the most emotive of them all, with the vocals still being perfectly strong screams but using levels of reverb that make it almost like a whisper, an interesting use of effects that really makes it stand out. This song is a slower tempo than the rest of the album until the last few minutes where it really ramps up, bringing the Russian accordion melodies that we've heard in the majority of the tracks. The very last track is a short piece named 'Outro (Memories of a Forgotten Home)'. This one brings back a number of instrumentals that we've heard throughout the album, acting as a neat little packaged up ending to these 10 mysterious tracks.
Although the use of an accordion and other folk-like instruments seems to overrule and bring the album's sound down slightly, looking past that there's a great album that's suited for any black metal listeners. The masked brothers and their supporting band members are embarking on a 30 show European tour running from late April to early June, so head to their website to catch them in a city near you.
Score: 6/10
'Nightside' will be released on February 28th 2025 via Napalm Records.
Words: Amy Smyth
Photos: Grima
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