ALBUM REVIEW: Transcendental Violence – Vimur
When you consider Atlanta, Georgia, one of the last things you may imagine is the frost-rimed bleakness of black metal. Busting this stereotype into dust however are VIMUR, who have recently returned to release seven new chunks of icy misery with their new album Transcendental Violence. It is their first release since 2019’s acclaimed Triumphant Master Of Fate and a lot has certainly changed in that length of time, are they still on top of their game?
From the outset its pretty obvious that VIMUR are clear devotees of black metal’s second wave. The album opens all pointed tremolo, blast beats and almost audible scowls. The bulk of opener Aeonic Upheaval is largely made up of mid-paced riffs fluffed with atmosphere, heavy cymbal work and a moody Nordic groove. There are occasional segments where the tempo is ramped up into a satisfying gallop, but the use of this is minimised, presumably to preserve its effectiveness.
Either that or they just wanted to ease themselves into the title track Transcendental Violence. This is a bare-chested berserker of a track that comes tearing out of the gate and whistles past your ears at what feels like lightspeed. Special mention feels like it needs to be made of the drum work on display here, as it is impressive and varied enough that at points you may find yourself using it as the instrument of focus.
Infallible Contra Animus marks the second raise in speed in a row. It’s a thoroughly blistering whirl of traditional black metal fare, one that’s as abrasive and hard-hitting as an industrial sandblaster. There is no sign of letting up as we careen headlong into Emanations From The Sun Behind The Sun, which opens with more of the same scorching riffs, but which slows into a crunching, powerful midriff before exploding into its outro at a breakneck pace.
The Greatest Dying is an exercise in unrelentingly violent musicality. It’s a riff-a-minute cacophony, which changes pace and ideas on a dime, jerking about uncontrollably and toeing the line between “swirling, unpredictable madness” and “madcap nonsense” expertly. Crucially, no matter how close it strays, it never quite seems to tip over.
Death Absolution is probably the album’s slowest moment. It’s a dirge-like cascade of mournful power chords and lurching, almost sedate drumming, wrapped off with a solo that sounds like it’s coming from a guitar that despite being inanimate, somehow suffers from crippling depression. This is presumably just a stretch of breathing space though, the slow dance, power ballad type break in between two bruisers, because The Warrior Seers is one of those fantastic closers where they snipe a little bit of something from every source that has made the last half hour, jam them together into a container, then light a touchpaper and run for cover. It opens with a deep, crunchy riff which rolls into a deeply satisfying blast beat which itself gives way to a murky segment of mid-paced melody. This all crumbles away like ash before the wind and the album coughs its last in the form of dense, punchy power chords.
Overall, Transcendental Violence is a fairly impressive outing for VIMUR, showcasing their sheer ability to produce sharp, memorable black metal. While there may be times throughout where a change of pace and/or riff can be somewhat jarring, for the most part it goes by unnoticed, as the big picture is that these guys can both write and play, while seemingly having tremendous fun while doing it.
Rating: 7/10
Transcendental Violence is out now via Boris Records.
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