Ymir
Ymir
Werewolf Records
2020 CD
It's always a good sign (is it?) when a black metal dude wears another band's shirt on an album cover. In this case, it's Emperor. And damn that's some deep snow; I hope that guy has some good boots. Ymir is one of those "one guy with session musicians" BM bands, this time out of Finland. And if the Emperor shirt didn't tip you off, this is purposefully "old school" second wave revival type black metal. "Generic" as hell, sure, but played rather well. It's grim and frostbitten with loads of tremolo picking and fierce blasts. Keyboards are here but unobtrusive to the point I lose track of them, and vocals are the typical rasp. Production is beefier than expected, thick and enveloping like the pictured snowstorm. Good enough of a release overall, but not something I'll return to often.
One final oddity about this band/guy -- their/his first demo was released in 1999, the second in 2006, but no full-length until 2020!!! What's going on?! Was he lost in the woods???
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed: 09/28/25