Vimur – Transcendental Violence
Release Date: 2nd April 2022
Label: Boris Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal
FFO: Naglfar, Emperor, Abhoria, early Enslaved, Immortal.
Review By: Rick Farley
Black Metal in 2022 has been killing it for me so far. A number of excellent releases have already seen the light of day, several of them being of different takes on the genre. Modern, traditional, progressive, symphonic and everything else splintered out in about twenty different directions. If you’re not talking purists, Black Metal has become fresh, exciting and viable again. Some of these bands are releasing the absolute best music out there right now. Vimur is most definitely one of those bands. Hailing from the grim and frostbitten grounds of Atlanta, Georgia, these southerners are proving that not every Black Metal band has to be from Norway.
I would put Transcendental Violence in the more traditional category, branching out to a little progressive. Vimur certainly has their own unique voice but would most definitely fit in with Immortal and Dark Funeral, maybe throw in a little Dissection and some great progressive doomy atmospheric elements, and you got yourself a hell of a show. The riffs here are magnificent, ranging from pure aggressive raw tremolo picking, to blackened doomy guitar dirges and black and roll style grooves. Unlike a lot of modern Black Metal bands, these songs have serious personality. Dark but breathing and alive, the balance between the contrasting styles drives each song into a blackened frenzy while sounding authentic, aggressive, extremely catchy and melodic. No small feat for any genre to achieve.
Aeonic Upheaval is the perfect opening track, considering it puts forward just about everything Vimur has to offer all in one swarming battle cry. A blackened almost Death Metal riff to start, transitioning to intense blast beats and crusty tremolo picked frostiness. High-pitched scream and shrieks sound like they’re being sung from a frigid snowy mountain in Norway. Dark airy atmospheres and catchy Heavy Metal style riffs occasionally peak in, adding incredible dynamics. Resonating picked guitar strings with double bass underneath has a doomy droning quality about it. The song is eight minutes and forty-three seconds of grimy, gritty, infectious triumphant black mastery.
The ghastly Emanations From the Sun Behind the Sun takes the violent, unrelenting Black Metal route of berserker style blasting and skeletal vocals to demand the listener to take up arms and follow them into battle. Minus a classic rock inspired groovy riff near the middle of the song, it’s blistering and rips through like sub-zero Nordic fury. The Title track Transcendental Violence is also a raw high octane pulverizing little number that wastes none of its three minutes on anything less than black primal hostility. The vocals are unbridled ferocity, getting lost in a labyrinthine of blistering tremolo picked riffs and powerful drums. Production wise, this song has a certain nostalgia about it, like that of the old lo-fi recoding approach. Don’t get me wrong, the record sounds great, but more in a traditional Black Metal relaxed sense. It’s modern enough but still captures the raw essence of these old records, right down to the snappy snare and icy cold vocals.
This album shifts and morphs through various elements while maintaining its purity. By purity, I mean the menacing, raw, don’t give a fuck essence and spirit of pure Norwegian Black Metal. There’s nothing exactly new going on here, but Vimur sounds innovative and fresh, mostly by their immaculate songwriting ability. Not one iota of music here sounds out of place or is gratuitous.
Transcendental Violence is completely song driven; everything comes together in a dark, black amalgamation like warring kings uniting to rid the rest of the kingdoms of peace. Its fluidity and vibrancy is its unfathomable power. It will be quite some time before this leaves my playlist, if it even does. I am no purist by any means, but I adore Black Metal probably way more than most non purists do, and I can assure you that this album will bestow euphoria upon your blackened heart. Vimur is a whirlwind of ferocity deeply rooted in traditionalism, while sounding modern enough to push the genre forward. Outstanding!
(4.5 / 5)
