Saturday 16 January 2016

Vimur - Traversing The Ethereal Current


Tracklist:-

1. Elegy Of The Morningstar
2. Leech of Humanity
3. The Pernicious Doctrine
4. Ephemeral Sentience
5. By Black Winds Oppressed
6. Professions Of The Heresiarch
7. Traversing The Ethereal Current
8. To Abide An Eternal Grief
9. Memory Of Heathen Reign

I bet very few of you have heard of this band. Vimur are a black metal band Atlanta (Georgia, US). Their 2014 full-length Traversing The Ethereal Current was sent to me a while ago by Boris Records. So, Vimur started playing their anti-religious, hateful black metal in 2006. They've released a couple of demos and a live album alongside this record, while they're currently recording their second full-length as we speak. They've recently supported 1349, Tombs and Full of Hell in their hometown and will be sharing the stage with ABSU in March too. Sounds like a pretty good start to the year for any band!

Vimur’s black metal is powerful. There’s no other word for it! They hit full gear immediately with opening track Elegy Of The Morningstar. The low-end and downtuned guitar providing menacing melody underneath the gargling screams while the drums press on unabated. Considering the band only had a couple of demos prior to this release, they sound remarkably assured. Leech Of Humanity makes use of some catchy hooks and slightly bizarre time-signatures. There’s no escaping Vimur’s ability to weave real atmosphere though. The brooding instrumental passages are eerily good. Black thrash takes centre stage on The Pernicious Doctrine. Semi-acoustic guitar breaks up the frenetic pace that propels Vimur forwards, providing beautiful glimpses of respite between battering. Ephemeral Sentience is the heaviest song on the album. It’s unrelenting! It has nods to early Venom and Vimur channel all that is good about USBM. The solemn beauty that opens By Black Winds Oppressed doesn’t prepare your what’s to come, as the band switches between icy blasts and mid-paced bleakness, making it sound more symphonic at times. In spite of all of the ungodly black metal that Traversing The Ethereal Current contains, it also holds some subtle modern metal touches. These are ever so slightly present during Professions Of The Heresiarch, mainly in the riffs. I’m not complaining as it’s used in the right way and adds to Vimur’s appeal. Instrumentally it’s an awesome song. The title track is equally as impressive and dare I say it…uplifting! It’s a lengthier number, stretching to over 7 minutes but Vimur can pull it off. They do it by interchanging between their rabid black thrash attack and more thoughtful interludes. It highlights a progressive side to them as well. To Abide In Eternal Grief contains a post-metal/doom feel. It’s different to what’s come before, with a slower tempo and thicker guitars that are allowed more space to breath. The bass once again adds real heft to the recording and it’s thanks in part to the excellent production. Some may think that the song is at odds with the rest of the record, but that’s short sighted in my opinion. It all ends with one final rousing number in the form of Memory Of Heathen Reign. It’s one last opportunity for Vimur to switch everything up to 11. Traversing The Ethereal Current is excellent from first note to last. I think it’s pretty special when a band that I’ve never heard, manages to move me with their music. That’s exactly what Vimur does and a love em!


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