With 10 years of experience behind them, Siberian atmospheric black metal legion, Grima, will release their sixth album and Napalm Records debut, Nightside, on February 28.
After several shows across Europe, including some with fast-rising German death metal force Kanonenfieber, Grima are set to honor the spirit of the Siberian Forest, Taiga, with their impending next chapter. In addition to their unforgettable sound echoing the mesmerizing cold of the Siberian evening wilderness, the band’s eerie, piercing look – towering like living trees with intimidating carved wooden masks and branched fingers – adds another haunting element to their brutal yet beautiful output.
Alongside the album announcement, Grima present their first output and reveal the new single “Skull Gatherers”, an atmospheric and haunting black metal track that conjures powerful imagery of inevitability, cold, and eternal slumber. “Skull Gatherers” is underlined with a bewitching official music video and serves as a perfect soundtrack for the gray season.
Grima on “Skull Gatherers”: “'Skull Gatherers' tells the story of the Skull Gatherers, particularly devoted servants of Grima, who are dedicated to harvesting trophies from the bodies of the deceased and weaving them into an endless collection. Each lyric and chord resonate with the somber silence and chill of the earth, the final resting place for those who have found peace in the Taiga. The song transcends listeners into a realm of nocturnal shadows, rugged nature, and mysticism – the perfect soundtrack for those prepared to confront what lies beyond the boundary between life and death.”
Watch the official music video for “Skull Gatherers” below.
The brand-new single, “Skull Gatherers”, is constructed with folk instruments such as the Russian accordion bayan, but Grima also incorporate death metal-like growls into their delivery on “Impending Death Premonition”. While fans of their dark, deep and melancholic sound can look forward to tales like in “Flight Of The Silver Storm” and “The Nightside”, Grima also showcase focused effort and skill on the album’s more brief, accessible offerings. “Beyond The Dark Horizon” and “Curse Of The Void” are as dreamy and complex as their big brothers, but also satisfy as more direct black metal anthems. With their mysterious visual aura and intriguing sound inspired by the unforgiving nature around them, Grima continue to prove themselves as an unmissable band to watch within the genre with their new album Nightside.
Grima about the album: “Grima is a secretive cult devoted to an ancient, long-forgotten Siberian forest deity, lying in wait, shrouded within the endless embrace of the Taiga. Our music is a ritual of reverence to the ancient magic of the forest, an endless dance of mysterious entities and ancient spirits, a beautiful and terrifying legend cloaked in the form of Siberian Atmospheric Black Metal. Nightside is a mysterious and melodic recording, infused with the mesmerizing cold of the Siberian night wilderness—brutal, yet equally beautiful and irresistibly alluring. A mysterious nocturnal land where winds slam the shutters of cabins in abandoned villages, guiding stars only lead you deeper into the silver storm, and a dead man is knocking his claw on an ancient pine, counting down the remaining time of yet another lost.”
Mixing, mastering, and helming Nightside’s harsh, powerful but also clear-as-an-icicle sound is black metal-experienced producer Vladimir Lehtinen. The two driving forces behind the band’s unique sound, Vilhelm and Morbius, both deliver different aspects of the band’s impactful, massive guitar riffs, leads and melodies, while Vilhelm also soars as the voice of the woods. Guest musicians Vlad (drums) and Serpentum (guitars) also join the fold both in studio and on stage.
Nightside will be available in the following formats:
- 1LP Gatefold Night Blue – limited to 300 copies worldwide (Napalm Records Mailorder only)
- 1LP Gatefold Black
- 1 CD Digisleeve
- Digital Album
Pre-order here.
Nightside tracklisting:
"Intro (Cult)"
"Beyond the Dark Horizon"
"Flight of the Silver Storm"
"Skull Gatherers"
"Impending Death Premonition"
"The Nightside"
"Where We Are Lost"
"Curse of the Void"
"Mist and Fog"
"Outro (Memories of a Forgotten Home)"
"Skull Gatherers" video:
Grima is:
Vilhelm - vocals, guitars
Morbius - guitars
(Photo - Mikhail Yuyukin, Viktor Shkarov, Marat Zaborovskiy)
