I’ve always had a complex relationship with US black metal. Sure, I’ll always bow at the altar of NME (yes, Unholy Death IS the first USBM album, I don’t care what you think) and Absu will forever reign supreme. After that, the extent of the so called USBM scene by my estimation has been an endless crop of bands rehashing the same tired Norwegian tropes we’ve been bombarded with for 30 years running at best, and hipsters with a legitimate disdain for this music, pasteurizing it for Pitchfork consumption at worst. Of course, there is the occasional exception to this rule, like Vimur.
For nearly 20 years now, Vimur has lurked around the USBM underground, largely unnoticed by the tastemakers within *ahem* “the scene”. Truth be told, they eluded me for the longest time as well and would’ve continued to do so if it weren’t for the inclusion of one Mr. Australis on guitar, better known as Charlie Southern of Sadistic Ritual infamy. Sadistic Ritual’s evolution from brutal thrash barbarians to blackened thrash bizarros has been well documented by this here little ol’ webzine. It’s only right that we’d cover Southern/Australis’ “other” (a term I’m using very sarcastically) band as well.
On their fourth album, The Timeless Everpresent, Vimur manages to do something that very few second wave black metal worship acts have done (no matter what Decibel tells you) and that’s craft a fresh, thrilling, and truly unpredictable album. Yes, it is a black metal affair through and through, but no two songs sound the same. In the same breath, one mustn’t worry about un-consensual forays into shoegaze, screamo, or any other hipster approved subgenre. Like I said, The Timeless Everpresent IS a black metal album through and through, albeit a black metal album packed with variety, flavor, and depth.
It’s easy to draw comparisons to melodic black metal overlords Dissection and Sacramentum, especially with confronted with the riffs and arrangements of cuts like “Fire, Glory, and Thinking”, “Astride the Centuries”, and my choice cut, “The Cold Only We Know”. Indeed, these songs are cut from the same Luciferian cloth, but again, come off as more a continuation of this tradition than a repeat. The incorporation of doom ridden dirges like “Wound Window” and “The Embrace of Merciless Indifference” add threatening shades of gray, while the entire album is emboldened by atmospheric intensity, progressive songwriting, and diabolical melodies.
If there’s one USBM album to explore this year, it’s Vimur’s The Timeless Everpresent. I’m also calling upon you, the readers of this here webzine, to send any other USBM bands of this nature my way. Mind you, I’m unfortunately more than familiar with the usual suspects, so try your best to scour the underground if you are to hit me up with such a recommendation. As for Vimur, The Timeless Everpresent is a fitting title for this tremendous effort. It sounds as home in 2024 as it would in 1994, and will likely remain as compelling in 2054. Some things truly are timeless!
7 out of 10
Label: Avantgarde Music
Genre: Black Metal
For fans of: Dissection, Sacramentum, Watain