Grima – Nightside (Review)

This is the sixth album from Russian black metal band Grima.

2022’s Frostbitten was an enjoyable record of atmospheric black metal, so I was looking forward to hearing Nightside. It’s a collection of mood-rich tracks that offers an enthralling journey into the cold blackened night.

Grima enhance their atmospheric black metal formula with a Bayan (accordion), adding a certain esoteric flavour when it appears. The band use melody well to weave their mood-rich tales, working with the accordion and keyboards to bring their frozen atmospheres to life. Guest clean singing appears on two tracks too, further layering the music. Alongside this sits an increase in brutality and the occasional death growl, allowing Grima to accentuate their stories with a harsher aggression. It’s certainly not a ubiquitous feature of Nightside, but it does broaden its sound when it’s used.

The well-crafted songs are compelling throughout, building melodic atmospheres that the listener can easily absorb and enjoy. There is an obvious epic streak that appears, but even with this the music never loses its cold, earthy feeling.

Nightside is a very enjoyable record from an accomplished, professional, and polished band. Grima know exactly what they’re doing with their material, and the end result is very effective. If you’re a fan of atmospheric black metal, then this is definitely one for you to spend some time with.