Grimnis – The Path ov the Flame (Review)

The music scene in NRW is heavily vibrant. After having set up Lower Rhine Underground, it has by no means remained a secret that it feels almost impossible to keep up with the shows and releases that are unleashed onto the masses in this federal country alone (and Osnabrück isn’t even a city in NRW!). To a certain extent, I’m into quite a lot of environments in the closer surroundings. Nevertheless, every now and then you get this moment when you find out about a specific band or group of people that immediately open up a space showcasing that there still is a hell of a lot more taking place right now. To me, this once again happened first of all when I got into Deathcore bands from NRW and specifically when I encountered “Epic Blackened Deathcore” band Grimnis with the release of their full-length debut The Path ov the Flame. 

The first time having heard or read about Grimnis felt as if this band fell right out of nowhere. And then I looked through their socials and came across the pre-released single “Sigil” that was set up with a video clip that conveyed the impression of musicians who are quite aware of how to put together the whole package. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not overwhelmed by bands that throw a helluva lot of money on setting up a “business” surrounding their music, but it felt as if the output that Grimnis delivered still beared that DIY character although not seeming to be DIY at all. I was quite right about the fact that they “fell out of nowhere,” since even their social media presence started with the announcement of their debut full-length and the release of the aforementioned first single followed right away. 

I have to admit that when I first read the description of “Epic Blackened Deathcore” I chuckled, since I’m at war with genre definitions anyway. However, it actually only takes a few minutes into the album to find out that it is quite fitting to describe this band as such. A few seconds into the first track “Sigil” that is also the pre-released single, the listener is able to grasp the intention of every definitory aspect of this sonical description. Deathcore for damn sure is the core point of this release. Especially going by the versatility of the speed of this sound, the sequences that take the drums almost to a halt radiate what this genre encompasses. While being entangled with synth melodies that move in the forefront and overtake the melody in the beginning of tracks but slide into the back when lunacy takes over, the epic element of this description becomes quite clear. Especially when being wrapped up in straight-up Deathcore, this is an aspect that the listener might need to get accustomed to. However, anytime you have something that you “need to get accustomed to,” it also means that there are elements that feel kinda new to the genre. Which, again, is also a good thing any time you lean for progression of different styles. Whenever steamroller passages commence, the synth formation moves into the back to not hinder the impact of this sound. However, during later sequences, these come back and just briefly overtake the theme of an interlude to crush right back into the next breakdown. In combination with the fact that sequences of Deathcore are also interchanged with Black Metal passages that are also occasionally intertwined with synth sound, it feels as if you’re being pushed back and forth in between Deathcore, Blackened Metal and Synth Black Metal in the vein of Dimmu Borgir. 

If you ever listened into this album, it is probably quite obvious that the initial focus will immediately be on the delivery of vocalist Chris. Especially when jumping in between the whole set of micro genre bending (bendings in between the same subgenre), the versatility of the vocals underlines these progressions heavily. I know, I know, no one wants to hear this comparison. I’d guess that even the band is not into this, but you damn sure think about Lorna Shore in the first place. Since I lack of more detailed references in the spheres of Deathcore, I have to go with this as well. The absolutely crazy primal vocal sounds that underline several passages on this album are insane. There is everything on this album from “regular” Death Metal growls over Black Metal screams and Slam(esque) pig squeals – and sounds that have you wonder whether some of these tracks were recorded near the closest zoo. When patchworking in between all of the genres that are conveyed by instrumentation, the agility of the vocals serve as the icing on the cake within this full set.

Having mentioned the vocals in the first place does by no means transport the cognition that the finesse of this band and specifically this album derives from this aspect alone. Depending on what Extreme Metal genre you’re diving in and out during different passages on The Path ov the Flame, the core elements that urge the recognition of the sound to be located within these different genres sometimes stems from the guitars and sometimes from the drums. Especially when hitting those recurring slow Deathcore breakdown parts that occasionally flirt with the sound of Slam, the drums or the sound of the drums, to be more precise, marks this sequence. You have to differentiate between hitting the slow parts and hitting the REALLY slow parts. When its getting really slow, the sonical nod towards the trash can snare that clanks heavily serves as focal point of constructing this overall heaviness that is omnipresent on this entire album. When diving deeper into the Black Metal passages of the album, the key point comes from the guitars (in combination with the vocals which, as mentioned already, always move within these jumps) that emphasize this genre bending with piercing tremolo riffs. Pulling the strings mentioned above together eventually results in quite a characteristic personal tone that is present right from the first release on this band on. I have said that numerous times in different previous reviews already. Whenever this recipe kicks in, you get a band that needs to remain on your scope because this might turn out even bigger when progressing.

The album has been self-released by the band on digital platforms so far. This means that Grimnis still seems to be available for label calls, which should be interesting for quite some local or international labels. Especially when taking a look at the fact that this band planned the release of their full-length debut entirely themselves with quite a promotional plan might be an aspect to be considered, because means of self-promotion definitely are an aspect on the pro side of the story when we dive into the label game. 

Similar to Unhallowed Deliverance (although driving on pretty different lanes musically), I was surprised again in the spheres of a musical genre I am not yet too deep into. I really enjoy being convinced that a lot of the micro subgenres in the fields of my favorite Extreme Metal genres have remained way more interesting than originally expected. The Path ov the Flame is a strongly positive album by a new band that sets the bar very high right from the beginning with their output. You can guess for sure that the musicians in this band did not start their first band from scratch, this is more than obvious. If you are into wilder mixtures of your favorite genres, make sure to check out this album!