Ymir

Over the years there have been a large number of different approaches in music and lyrics within black metal with equally mixed results, and one of such styles is the more pagan side of black metal, bands of what’s described as “pagan black metal” tend to focus on exactly that, pre-Christian pagan beliefs and musically incorporate more folkish and even epic elements, and of course the influence of Bathory in that area can’t be understated. And in 2020, the controversial label Werewolf Records in allegiance with Vrasjarn, brother of Baptism mastermind Lord Sargofagian brought the debut self-titled full-length album of the two brother’s long dormant pagan black metal project, Ymir.

Its interesting how Ymir as a project existed for over two decades and just two demos, however given how Vrasjarn has been very prolific with other endeavors, its not entirely unreasonable to see why this project slumbered for so long.

Those familiar with Vrasjarn's brother Sargofagian’s main band Baptism and other Finnish bands, would feel an instant familiarity listening to this record as it hearkens to some musical elements to Baptism, primarily the melancholic melodies and aggressive drumming (courtesy of guest drummer V.R.), however this project has a major difference with that band, namely the atmosphere and overall execution of the music. The sorrowful melodies in Ymir have various tinges of folkloric musicality, but what’s interesting is how there’s no overly folky instrumentation beyond a very subdued keyboard for added effect in some songs, usually pagan black metal bands tend to go ham on bringing traditional instruments to pay tribute to their pagan ancestors, in here it isn’t the case, guitars, bass, drums, shrieking vocals, and like I mentioned, very subtle keyboards. The actual music is also very raw and aggressive, leaning more towards classic Norwegian style black metal in the vein of early Enslaved and Taake, albeit with the trademark Finnish melodicism most fans of that regional style would associate to bands like Baptism, and this is achieved through Vrasjarn's excellent guitar playing, with the help of guest bassist Ghast. But the key difference in the atmosphere, the music’s overall feel as a whole is one of a cold and bitter winter, a frozen desolate wasteland, and the effectives of the execution lies in how the band used a minimalist and primitive approach to create such a grand and sprawling sound with a balanced focus on both aggression and atmosphere, its actually impressive how the band achieved such an epic sounding album with the most basic of instrumentation and in a surprisingly short amount of time, just over thirty minutes of music, a testament to the ethos of black metal that Fenriz of Darkthrone always talks about.

That being said, while I can safely give this album high praise for being so innovative to achieve its ambitious sound, taken as a whole this record is not that different from other older black metal or pagan metal records, I can certainly respect the “no BS” approach and adherence to the spirit of the subgenre, but as it is, this is an album that’s kinda stuck in the late 90’s sound of black metal, which is made evident by the fact that this band was dormant for so long and no other meaningful released beyond two demos that at this point can barely be found online if at all. While it is a legitimately good album with memorable moments and noteworthy aspects in the musical execution, it just feels like a weathered tree in a frostbitten forest, it can standout in sheer size and age but the same snow covers all the woodlands.

Best tracks: Pagan Mysticism, Ymir, Resurrection of the Pagan Fire

Written for www.MetalBite.com