Siebenbürgen – Grimjaur

Just recently we have presented our readers to a Swedish band Siebenbürgen here. Now, the same label, Darkness Shall Rise Productions, is re-releasing their second album, a 10-tracker entitled Grimjaur, originally released via Napalm Records in 1998. Thus, Grimjaur is finally available again on this limited Jewel-case, 16-page booklet CD.

I’ll try not to bore you with another introduction to this band, and if still unfamiliar then read our review of their debut, Loreia here. Meanwhile, what I can tell shortly is that the band released six albums in period of 15 years (1994-2009) and Grimjaur is second in a row. Like its predecessor, Grimjaur is still a quite raw black metal, but still with additional gothic and doom metal influences. Meanwhile, there’re also a few noticable differences. The main difference is the fact that this sophomore album from Siebenbürgen seems to be more commercially oriented than its predecessor. It’s almost entirely sung in English and the lyrical content is about more or less traditional topics such as vampirism, grimness, darkness, depression, folklore and similar subjects. I think I can also hear improved production, being more clear and modern. The same goes for their handling of the instruments, where the band again shows some improvement. Actually, I enjoyed the angelic backing vocals of Lovisa Hallstedt pretty much, despite of them being too low in the mix. Unfortunately, she only has short appearances on three of the tracks from Grimjaur.

The album starts with a lot of atmosphere in the very beginning of the self-titled track “Grimjaur”. One can hear some catchy yet instrumental and atmospheric moments, accompanied by some mysterious church bell tolls. Next song is a bit repetitive in its nature and traditional song-writing, but there are also several enjoyable tracks as we move further on this album. A sinister and brutal “Nattskräcken” perfectly exemplifies what I’m talkin’ about here. It’s a mind-blowing, a real bone-crushing, sonic assault. Another interesting, although quite opposite to the aforementioned “Nattskräcken”, is this catchy folkish “För Mig… Ditt Blod Utgutet”. Finally, I find it’s worth mentioning, the ending acoustic ballad called “Ibi Cubavit Lamia”. This album finale is entirely sung by Lovisa Hallstedt. A nice, charming and calm way to end this otherwordly journey of beautiful yet harsh, raw and cold, landscapes. One thing is certain, with the release of Grimjaur, Siebenbürgen continued their atmospheric, cold and mysterious path on the landscape of music. Listening to Grimjaur feels dangerous and mystical at the same time. Yet make no mistake, Grimjaur is for all those that like their metal vicious, extreme and brutal but at the same time beautiful and epic.

Thus, I can only repeat myself from the first review of a Siebenbürgen’ debut; if you like your metal rough, mysterious, atmospheric and epic, then you should definitely find some time and listen to Grimjaur. At least I think you should visit https://siebenbrgen.bandcamp.com/album/grimjaur or purchase this particular re-release at https://darknessshallrise.de/product/siebenburgen-swe-grimjaur-cd-pre-order/?v=dd65ef9a5579 as this may be your last chance to get your hands into this release, as the band have unfortunately disbanded and exists no more.