Grimfist Ten Steps to Hell
Candlelight Records CDL156 - November 1st, 2005
By Josh Phillips
I don't know what the hell they put in the water in Norway, but I want some of whatever it is. Already home to probably the best Death Metal band today, Blood Red Throne, Norway continues to annihilate all competition with bands such as 1349, Tsjuder and now, Grimfist. This unholy blackened trinity gives the country more than enough firepower to compete with neighbor Sweden and other metal hotspots as the best on earth.
Initially, I was skeptical of Grimfist, wanting to avoid a blastfest with no soul like the latest Belef album. But, as soon as the record came on and started kicking my ass left and right with some twisted, hellish grooves, I knew that I'd found a gem of an album. That notion was only furthered when I discovered that Tsjuder drummer Christian Svendsen handles the kit duties on this album. Beginning with "The Power", Grimfist immediately lays it on with a thick and heavy production and blasts away with fury and brutality before making a shift halfway through to one groovy motherfucker of a riff, something you'd expect to hear on a stoner album, not in extreme metal. Mimicking the song title, this powerful riff leads into an emotional closer, fueled by chanting clean vocals.
As the album carries on, it continues to gain momentum with the straight-forward molten riff-fest that is "Separation of My Soul." These guys can write a vicious, catchy song as well as any band I've ever heard, and I mean it. This is why metal is associated with headbanging, because there is physically no other option. This band is one of the most purely metal outfits on the entire planet. If something on this record doesn't get you moving like the first time you listened to "Angel of Death", you might already be dead, or just have shitty taste in music.
As we near the middle of the album, we come upon "Unborn" and it's intro. A highlight of the album, the intro emits a Pagan Black Metal feel before we burst into the song itself which carries the Grimfist elements of fast, heavy and fun, but also extends beyond that to carry some epic mid-paced grooves, accented by the chanting clean voice we've heard earlier in the album. The vocals here are definitely worth keeping an ear on as vocalist Frediablo dominates with both bellowing growls and piercing screeches.
From here, the album kicks back into overdrive with the insanely groovy "Ashes of the Gods", which also features some awesome solo work, which is great to hear as it soars over the heavy base riff. This song even contains what you might consider a chorus and ranks as one of the record's best tracks. Also, I have to point out that the extremely good production surprised me. I'm normally not a fan of Peter Tagtgren's production jobs but the heavy, well-balanced tone here brings every instrument to the forefront to batter away at the listener. That's one difference that Grimfist shares in comparison to 1349 and Tsjuder, but these guys stand neck and neck with those two excellent bands quality-wise. Picking up with "Touched By a Shadow of Evil" and "Tools of the Trade", the album gets a little eerie and black metal oriented, perhaps paying homage to the great roots of their country, while still fusing the music with death metal and their own unique touches that create a melting pot of metal sounds, obscene and serene. Clocking in at over 7 minutes and showing off Grimfist's talents in a variety of ways, "Tools of the Trade" is certainly one of the best songs on the record. As the album returns to it's roots to finish off the record with the killer "Fight or Die", one can't help but feel fulfilled by the latest release from Grimfist. Let the hair flow and fly when this one comes on, there really isn't any other choice.
Overall, this is one of the surprises of the year and also one of the best albums of the year. Grimfist has put forth a great album that will rank highly on my end of the year list. Check this one out, it's mandatory.
9/10
Official Grimfist Website
Official Candlelight USA Website
Candlelight Records CDL156 - November 1st, 2005
By Josh Phillips
I don't know what the hell they put in the water in Norway, but I want some of whatever it is. Already home to probably the best Death Metal band today, Blood Red Throne, Norway continues to annihilate all competition with bands such as 1349, Tsjuder and now, Grimfist. This unholy blackened trinity gives the country more than enough firepower to compete with neighbor Sweden and other metal hotspots as the best on earth.
Initially, I was skeptical of Grimfist, wanting to avoid a blastfest with no soul like the latest Belef album. But, as soon as the record came on and started kicking my ass left and right with some twisted, hellish grooves, I knew that I'd found a gem of an album. That notion was only furthered when I discovered that Tsjuder drummer Christian Svendsen handles the kit duties on this album. Beginning with "The Power", Grimfist immediately lays it on with a thick and heavy production and blasts away with fury and brutality before making a shift halfway through to one groovy motherfucker of a riff, something you'd expect to hear on a stoner album, not in extreme metal. Mimicking the song title, this powerful riff leads into an emotional closer, fueled by chanting clean vocals.
As the album carries on, it continues to gain momentum with the straight-forward molten riff-fest that is "Separation of My Soul." These guys can write a vicious, catchy song as well as any band I've ever heard, and I mean it. This is why metal is associated with headbanging, because there is physically no other option. This band is one of the most purely metal outfits on the entire planet. If something on this record doesn't get you moving like the first time you listened to "Angel of Death", you might already be dead, or just have shitty taste in music.
As we near the middle of the album, we come upon "Unborn" and it's intro. A highlight of the album, the intro emits a Pagan Black Metal feel before we burst into the song itself which carries the Grimfist elements of fast, heavy and fun, but also extends beyond that to carry some epic mid-paced grooves, accented by the chanting clean voice we've heard earlier in the album. The vocals here are definitely worth keeping an ear on as vocalist Frediablo dominates with both bellowing growls and piercing screeches.
From here, the album kicks back into overdrive with the insanely groovy "Ashes of the Gods", which also features some awesome solo work, which is great to hear as it soars over the heavy base riff. This song even contains what you might consider a chorus and ranks as one of the record's best tracks. Also, I have to point out that the extremely good production surprised me. I'm normally not a fan of Peter Tagtgren's production jobs but the heavy, well-balanced tone here brings every instrument to the forefront to batter away at the listener. That's one difference that Grimfist shares in comparison to 1349 and Tsjuder, but these guys stand neck and neck with those two excellent bands quality-wise. Picking up with "Touched By a Shadow of Evil" and "Tools of the Trade", the album gets a little eerie and black metal oriented, perhaps paying homage to the great roots of their country, while still fusing the music with death metal and their own unique touches that create a melting pot of metal sounds, obscene and serene. Clocking in at over 7 minutes and showing off Grimfist's talents in a variety of ways, "Tools of the Trade" is certainly one of the best songs on the record. As the album returns to it's roots to finish off the record with the killer "Fight or Die", one can't help but feel fulfilled by the latest release from Grimfist. Let the hair flow and fly when this one comes on, there really isn't any other choice.
Overall, this is one of the surprises of the year and also one of the best albums of the year. Grimfist has put forth a great album that will rank highly on my end of the year list. Check this one out, it's mandatory.
9/10
Official Grimfist Website
Official Candlelight USA Website
