Ymir

Despite existing since 1998, Ymir have previously released only 2 demos. Now they return from the abyss with a full length album set for release via Werewolf Records on November 13th 2020.

Icy synths and samples start the album with a chilling and beautiful ambience that is transcendental and immediately gripping. Blistering riffs and blastbeats fire into existence over the chilling synths which lay subtly beneath the instrumental cascades scolding glare. Howling vocals add further piercing qualities to the Finnish black metal storm that certainly has that melancholic aggression that gives Finland its bittersweet characteristic. With a monstrous production allowing the fearsome soundscapes to truly achieve grandiosity while feeling raw and bold in equal measure, there is no denying this album was worth the wait. Delivering a chaotic yet gorgeous display of black metal finesse, one can truly hear the passionately executed ferocity that is untamed here. A riveting beginning to the record that shows a powerful potential to expand into a pungent concoction of frenzied atmospheric glory.

Continuing in the mystically spectral vein that was showcased from the start, the subtleties are key to this music, requiring full attention, as we are enveloped by ancient soundscapes of dungeon-dwelling heathenism from a time long ago. Melodic guitar work spices up the scathing radiance of the black metal inferno as we see a developed, precise and magnificently drive album erupt into its uniquely stunning potential. Through eclectic atmospheric ideas, there is not that monotonous drudge that some atmospheric black metal falls into. This isn’t overly pretty or boring, there is plenty of violence in the gorgeous music that has more to it than meets the ear or most contemporaries in this style. With bands like Faustian Pact, Vargrav and Gardsghastr giving synth-ridden black metal some well-needed excellence, Ymir certainly falls among these strong ranks with their ferociously frostbitten tomes of black metal mastery. This is due to a sincerity in the music backed up by incredible musicianship. From the sparse and often dissonant guitars to the superbly charged drumming and with chilling vocals and synths to complete the mix, we see real talent here.

Soothing as it may seem, there is an underlying sense of darkness burning at the heart of this music, do not be fooled, this is as unforgiving and relentless as black metal should be. With some inevitable similarities to Baptism due to the members behind this project, there is a completely different type of drive to Ymir. Archaic in nature though without feeling like another music entity is being channelled, the exceptionally concise and daunting extremity heard here is bleak and monolithically powerful example of Finnish black metal at a high point. Tasteful shifts and progression keep the music interesting while never becoming jarring or off-kilter, there is an easy-to-love kind of atmosphere here that is incredibly dense and inarguably haunting. Emotive is another way one could describe this music as there is definitely melancholy, anguish and yet also a rebirth of fierce aggression is ablaze within these pagan tales.

This is truly a fantastic debut record that all black metal fans with an appreciation for atmosphere, melody and mysticism presented with ambience and nuance aplenty will adore for certain.

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com

There is little music on earth that bears the sheer power and impact of grim, pagan black metal. Quality stuff can be hard to come by these days, with many current bands merely imitating bands who were themselves merely imitating the bands who actually developed the style, so hearing the long-awaited LP from one of the 90s Finnish scene's finest is a real treat.

The album starts out on a high note with some exceptionally well-developed atmospheric keyboards - no primitive necro Casio plunking here. This leads quickly into a monolithic 9-minute opener chock-full of icy Finnblack riffs, including a main theme that - to my ears, at least - seems to reverently call back to the vocal melody of Bathory's classic "Song to Hall Up High". This first track is called "Pagan Mysticism", an apt title for the introduction to an album which evokes the mystique and magic of the North's pagan past in every tremolo riff and left-field chord change.

It is indeed the guitars that steal the show for much of the runtime, recalling what made 90s black metal so compelling without coming across as cheap or insincere for even a second. However, the rhythm section and vocals deserve just as much credit. The drums are brilliantly performed and just as brilliantly produced, with a strong attack on each note and mixing that lets each component of the drum set breathe without getting in the way of the vocals or guitar leads. This effect is only strengthened by a rock-solid bass guitar which never fails to lock in with the drums, providing a steady foundation that many extreme metal bands could only dream of.

And the vocals - my GOD, the vocals. They're worth a 90% all on their own, from the wildly varied styles to the production; coated in reverb and sat just behind the guitars in the mix, it truly sounds as though ancient howls and whisperings are making their way through time, conjured up by eremitic sorcerers in the frigid, forested wastes.

Don't let its recent release turn you away - this is an absolute must-listen for anyone invested in the 90s black metal sound, meloblack, or Finnish black metal in general. At just over 35 minutes, it's a quick listen - but it's one that's sure to make an impression.

You don't have to be an expert in Finnish black metal to have an idea of roughly what Ymir's debut sounds like. If you have heard an album by Odiosior, Ordinance or Malum once, it only takes a small mental transfer to imagine what style Ymir might play. Of course, there is a cold atmosphere, which is primarily based on icy guitar lines. The almost nine-minute opener invites the listener to take an extensive bath in the ice bucket. Sombrely looming keyboards darken the sky even more. In their best moments, their use is reminiscent of the early masterpieces of Emperor, to build a bridge from Finland to the west. No question, dark grey clouds are gathering in the sky, driven across the land by a merciless wind. But when a band takes the tiny period of 23 years to record their debut, you can expect at least a small whirlwind.

Excuse me for a moment, someone is raising the hand back there and wants to ask something. What do you want to know? Whether the music on the self-titled album is original? How such questions bore me. The answer is no. Does anyone want to ask a more intelligent question now? Do I mean that black metal has to sound original? This question is better, even if the answer is the same as before. No, black metal doesn't have to win an originality award. But it must have a cruel note, which in Ymir's case is achieved by the fervent screaming and nagging. While some instrumental sections may enjoy a more or less smooth, relatively clearly pronounced melody, Lord Sargofagian's voice is a constant reminder that we are not at a children's birthday party here. In addition, the material has a good measure of that typically Finnish, melancholic heaviness that can long since be considered a black metal trademark.

The appearance of typical genre elements is accompanied by the complete absence of external approaches. This does not lead to the highest level of listening pleasure all the time, so "Winterstorms" could well have been shortened from six to four minutes. The track does not lack coherence, but it does miss enough good ideas and a higher degree of aggression. The appropriate production, which has that famously creepy, dense touch, is of little help here. Besides the clanging guitars, neither drums nor vocals come up short, so more or less everything fits here. Be that as it may, no sound engineer in the world can animate a relatively lame composition to run. But I don't want to spend too much time on the minor flaws of the album, because overall it is unquestionably another document of Finnish quality metal. "Silvery Howling" and "Resurrection of the Pagan Fire" are the names of only two tracks that convince with their fast snare, their abysmal harmonies and their very solid basic substance. It is not only the experts who are happy about such tones from Finland.

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