Onirik/Grimfaug - MMXIV-MMXVI (Split Album Premiere)

March 15, 2017

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In a new split release, the forward-thinking-in-hindsight Portuguese hermit Onirik pairs with the previously silent, terrifying Grimfaug in a dissertation on two types of fear. On one end of the spectrum, Onirik concentrates on the slow burn of long-term fright. Multi-instrumentalist Gonius Rex’s instrumental performance may reflect the avant-garde-meets-post-Romantic stylings of early Emperor and Arcturus, but it is the constant presence of his layered, clean-voiced chorales which truly make his music unnerving. In its four tracks, Onirik’s offering quite masterfully treads the fine line between antiquated grandeur and hollow, cobweb-coated emptiness. Grimfaug, on the other hand, is more direct in their terror. Following a similar sort of melodic path to their pairing, Grimfaug opts for a more straightforward harmonic sense, instead communicating all fear purely in unbridled aggression. Norgaath and Menthor’s atmosphere-heavy black metal is absolutely uncompromising, recalling the early No Fashion releases through a lens of expressionist fury. As a treat and big surprise, Grimfaug’s “Hour of Sacrifice” features none other than Nyktalgia‘s Skjeld, who lends his incomparable shriek to further Grimfaug’s madness.

Onirik and Grimfaug’s special split CD will be released this coming Friday, March 17th, by Iron Bonehead Productions in conjunction with Altare Productions. Head below for an exclusive stream of the split in entirety.

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