When this EP hit my inbox, I instantly thought to myself: “Hooray! Gloomy Grim! New material! Must review!” It sure took me a while to get to it, but here I am, catching up. Gloomy Grim has been around for almost as long as I have been, the band started out in the mid-nineties as the solo project of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Agathon. Since then, Gloomy Grim has transformed into a full-blown band and have so far released six albums.
“Obscure Metamorphosis”, their latest EP, is meant as a movie without a picture, you are supposed to form the image in your mind, as the music progresses. The EP is meant to be listened to as a whole, rather than listening to a separate track. So, all-in-all my expectations before listening were quite high and best described as an immersive experience.
With that kept in mind, without going too much into the specifics of each separate track, I can tell you that this indeed is what I felt. Listening to an EP like this builds up a certain atmosphere, which I’m immediately sucked into. “Obscure Metamorphosis” offers great traditional black metal riffs, with many intriguing aspects, this comes from the fact that the whole EP does feel like it’s progressing like a story. There are many aspects that sound very cinematic to me as if they could really belong in a horror moving picture. The chapters in this story are quite short (usually not longer than 5 minutes) therefore the whole EP has a nice flow to it. Some small atmospheric horror elements are woven throughout the whole EP, making it incredibly consistent. The production of “Obscure Metamorphosis” is outstanding, as a black metal album should be.
All-in-all, whether you already know Gloomy Grim or not, this EP is definitely worth the listen if you like black metal, horror, and a little bit of theatrical music. “Obscure Metamorphosis” does feel like a story, it’s a very cinematic album. It’s just a shame that the material is so short because I definitely could have listened to more of this, but luckily the replay button is only a click away!
Tracklist
- Crawling Saviour
- Stars Above Me
- The Lord of Light
- Impressive Physical Sight
Lineup:
Agathon – Vocals
Agitator – Drums
Nuklear Tormentörr – Bass
Micko Hell – Guitars
