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Behemoth > Grom > Reviews
Behemoth - Grom

The old oaks bowed their backs in bows... - 95%

Slater922, February 28th, 2023
Written based on this version: 1996, CD, Solistitium Records

In light of the recent announcement of the album's latest reissue, we're gonna look back at arguably the best album from Behemoth's early period. I know it's a bit of a cliché to say that old Behemoth is better, and that's not to say the latest albums are terrible, but there's just something about the authenticity of their early releases that feels genuine, and in my opinion, nowhere is this as strong as in their second studio album "Grom".

The album opens with a very brief ambient intro that's simple, but sets the tone of this dark album decently. From there, we move on to the metal tracks, where things get explosive. Compared to the last album having a more raw and melancholic sound, not only is the production on this album more cleaner, but the mood of the album is more explosive and aggressive. The guitars play some more harsh riffs with some emotional undertones in tracks like "Dragon's Lair (Cosmic Flames and Four Barbaric Seasons)". The drumming has also made drastic improvements in terms of drumming, as the beat patterns are more technical, but still bombastic and intense. The bass is more audible, and does a decent job at setting down the foundation of each track. I've already mentioned Dragon's Lair as that's easily the best track in terms of the instrumentals, but I'll also shout out "The Dark Forest (Cast Me Your Spell)" and "Rising Proudly Towards the Sky" for being equally good. The Dark Forest has that sweet epic middle that contrasts well with the black metal portions, whereas Rising Proudly Towards the Sky takes on more harsher and downright intense influences with a harsher guitar tone and bombastic atmosphere. And that's not mentioning the last track "Grom", which is a perfect ending with an epic tone that reminds me a bit of Enslaved to an extent. Not only has the craft of the instruments improved significantly, but its more abrasive sound makes it stand out from the usual rawer stuff from before.

The vocals are also pretty good. While Nergal's vocals have been a bit mixed generally, his vocals on this album is easily his strongest performance in the band. Initially, he does these standard high-pitched shrieks that don't really seem that impressive. However, given the context of the instrumentals, I think they fit well, particularly in tracks like "Lasy Pomorza". While it is a bit weaker compared to other tracks, Nergal does a fantastic job balancing his shrieks and grunts, as well as flowing decently with the riffs and drums. I should also mention the female vocals from Nergal's then-girlfriend Celina, whose beautiful singing works well with in some of the more emotional moments like in The Dark Forest and the last track Grom. While they're not flawless, the vocal performances overall easily remain some of the best in the band's discography.

And then there's the lyrics. Compared to the newer stuff, the early album mainly focused on Paganism and spiritualism, which are written really well on this album. Take the lyrics to "Spellcraft and Heathendom" for instance, where this verse quotes:

Percus! Magic cirkles and black stones
Percus! Forest spells and damned souls
Percus! I find worship in you
PERCUS!!!


Here, the protagonist is chanting to the god Percus, proclaiming his spells. The overall tone of the lyrics are epic and ritualistic, as there's a theme of the protagonist seeking powers to become a sorcerer. Furthermore, these lyrics go well with the instruments and vocals, as the melodic riffs give the story a more heroic tone, and Nergal's shrieks symbolling the urgency of these new powers. While a couple of the tracks are in Polish, the rest of the English tracks have excellent songwriting, and are fitting to the album's sound.

Given all of this, it's no wonder why many people consider this the peak of Behemoth. With the more harsh and aggressive riffs and drumming, to the powerful vocals, and even the adventures in the lyrics, Grom is about as perfect as you can get with old Behemoth. While the newer era of Behemoth certainly has its good moments, I can't act surprise to see many people prefer the older albums. That, plus the recent announcement of a reissue, and needless to say, Grom is definitely an album you should check out if you haven't already.

Thunder it shall bring... - 95%

Hefeystossotsyefeh, August 18th, 2019

Behemoth have a now vast discography that spans a couple of genres, including hybridisations of. Given the attention that the albums subsequent to and including Demigod have received, it is quite easy to overlook their earlier black metal material, or simply never appreciate that Behemoth ever started this way (particularly the case for people newer to the band). That being said, the earlier catalogue of demos, extended plays, and full lengths provides a welcome variation (and change of pace, quite literally) from how Behemoth went on to develop, and there is undoubtedly an unrefined charm to the material that captures a Pagan essence that Graveland in particular initiated within at least Poland and presumably beyond.

Grom, the focus here, is Behemoth's second full length, and develops upon the sound of Sventevith. Gone in some part are the pure mid-tempo black metal hymns with acoustic interludes, which are replaced with a faster-paced series of tracks underpinned by blasts. Nonetheless, the overall aesthetic here remains as black metal (from the production and guitar work through to the vocal execution), despite the observable beginnings of what would be further expanded in Pandaemonic Incantations and what followed thereafter that was in some cases almost pure death metal. The guitars offer some great riffing, and the odd solo creeps in usually towards the end of the tracks to provide a lick of flair to the full length. In numerous parts (e.g. Lasy Pomorza, and the title track), acoustic guitars are pulled up to the front of the mix, which roots Grom into the black metal style, all the while driving home the Pagan foundation that coherently and authentically justifies the title of the full length (that translates to Thunder in English). Indeed, the material here is thunderous.

There is a curious inclusion of female vocals here and also some 'clean' chants by Nergal (e.g. Rising Proudly Towards the Sky, and the title track), which are certainly unpolished and afford a rustic element to the material. The production is welcoming of this end, by itself presenting a raw and dynamic sound that provides a logical scope to include these female and 'clean' vocals. The keys that open Dragon's Lair are also relevant, though in Grom are more residual than they were in Sventevith.

In all, the material on Grom is very competent. There is significant coherency with the aesthetic and the sound, which allows the music to breathe and come into its own to good effect whilst not ever appearing redundant. The female and clean vocals may be an undesirable element for some. Regardless, Grom takes the good elements of Sventevith and brings in new styles that makes it a logical forward step that regrettably wouldn't be further explored at least directly (asides from some calcitrant relics within the expended play Bewitching the Pomerania). Grom has aged well, and serves as the cornerstone of Behemoth's earlier stages of existence when black metal reigned within the heart and mind of Nergal.

Transitional Fossils: Where to Next? - 74%

WhenTheHypeDies, March 28th, 2019

Following a mere year after “Sventevith,” Behemoth’s “Grom” displays an edging away from the bitter cold of the traditional Norwegian black metal sound, introducing some death metal sensibilities to the nascent Behemoth sound. Moreover, “Grom” introduces a more experimental approach to song structures, taking some notes perhaps from Satyricon’s “Dark Medieval Times” by the abrupt transition to atmospheric elements and non-buzzsaw instrumentals (see "Dragon's Lair" for a great example of this). Female vocals, Viking/warrior-esque chants, clean instrumental passages, shredding guitar leads, etc. all play into the crafting of a landscape on “Grom,” and the better quality of the production also signals the development that has occurred in the brief time between “Sventevith” and this release. However, is this to the benefit of Behemoth’s sound? Does “Grom” signal a surpassing of the debut full-length from these Polish (then-)youngsters?

The more expansive sound is clearly indicated on the opening track “The Dark Forest (Cast Me Your Spell),” whose unnatural progression is also a fair indication of the album’s overall inconsistency. We have furious blast beats, bass solos, guitar solos, female vocals, a groaning male clean vocal, meditative clean guitar work, etc. It’s an absolute melodrama, overwhelming the listener with a smorgasbord of ideas. “Spellcraft and Heathendom” is the first real hint of death metal sensibilities, with several of the riffs not far off from Darkthrone’s “Soulside Journey” or even Possessed, and while the vocal performance remains firmly rooted in black metal screams a fair deal of the song is reminiscent of early death metal. Perhaps the best song on the album, “Lasy Pomorza,” reminds the listener of Mayhem in certain passages, a relentless piece that is driven by a massive drum performance, rolling toms somersaulting around a fairly straightforward tremolo-picked guitar, spiced with clean guitar undertones and driving bass. Again, the album’s melodrama is on full display, an impassioned Nergal driving the musical stake into the listener’s heart.

And while the sound of “Grom” is undeniably epic, the multitude of ideas on this album never fully cohere. Moreover, several songs are fairly standard black metal that does not benefit from the less focused quality of the album. “Rising Proudly Towards the Sky” and “Thou Shalt Forever Win” sound almost like left-overs from the debut album, straightforward black metal cuts that lack the rather imaginative variety displayed in the song structures and pacing of “The Dark Forest” and “Lasy Pomorza.” Where they would have been at home in the skillfully executed Norwegian black metal sound of Behemoth’s debut, here their unremarkable quality is highlighted by being positioned so late in an album that, by contrast, has been filled with a great deal of variety. Ultimately, “Grom” is far from a bad piece of work but it is certainly less enjoyable than “Sventevith.” Where on the debut the Norweigan black metal style was evoked with a strong, captivating familiarity, “Grom” is a transitional piece, working out a few different styles and not necessarily capturing any one of them very well. Its inconsistency is obvious. While still undoubtedly a black metal album, there is an ambitious venturing into new territory present here that is not yet fully committed to any single direction.


74%

Transitional Albums Aren't Necessarily Bad - 86%

Zekes, July 2nd, 2017
Written based on this version: 1996, CD, Solistitium Records

It is rare to find a band that is able to successfully navigate the realms of black metal and death metal with such a degree of success. Behemoth is one such band. Behemoth's earliest demos are canonical works in the black metal catalog, while their newer material has established them as death metal giants. This album is by far one of Behemoth's more interesting releases. While Sventevith and the earlier demos are purely black metal marked by raw production, thrash influenced drumming, and Mayhem-esque guitar riffs; Grom is largely a transitional album setting up Behemoth's move towards death metal. Grom lacks the rawness of Behemoth's earlier efforts, and clearly has better quality production. Instrumentally speaking, notable changes in sound include the jumpy almost punk-like bass that is audible throughout the album, female vocals, chanting, repetitive guitar riffs, and several atmospheric interludes. Black metal purists and naysayers will be quick to point out these stylistic departures are " out of place," "odd," and "superfluous" but it is precisely these elements that make the album worth listening to. Without these stylistic changes this album with be rather superficial, repetitive, and quite honestly boring.

Each song on the album is catchy in its own right, but gets boring rather quickly. Nergal and company are able to keep the listener engaged by adding these odd elements to the album making it one you'll want to listen to from beginning to end. For example, in The Dark Forest, the first guitar riff is repeated for nearly a minute before Nergal interrupts with an emphatic arpeggiated riff that leads directly into the body of the song, which, otherwise, is fairly standard black metal. This theme of breaking up more traditional black metal progressions with different musical elements is seen throughout the album. Frequently these elements remind me pagan metal motifs (read Enslaved circa 1994), and simply add to the overall feel of the album. The biggest shortfall of this album is that every song follows this pattern, such that no single song stands out. While there are some great guitar solos and experimental passages, this album simply does not do enough to differentiate between each song making it apparent that Nergal was still searching for his sound.

Notwithstanding, this was the first Behemoth album I ever picked up, and remains one of my favorite albums by them. It is one of the few albums I always listen to from beginning to end and It represents the unique period of time where Behemoth was able to make the move from pure black metal to the death metal masters they now are.

Thunder - 95%

Felix 1666, January 30th, 2017
Written based on this version: 1996, CD, Solistitium Records

I freely admit that the headline is not very original, but a highly decorated scientist (myself) has detected that "Thunder" ("Grom") and extreme metal have many things in common. The noisy explosiveness, the shocking effect, the power. Not to mention the fact that the closest friend of Thunder is called Lightning and we have therefore another feature of extreme metal at hand: energy. Well, "Grom" reflects power and energy as well and those who do not listen to metal will be shocked when being confronted with this album. But the second full-length of the Polish flagship also conveys a primordial, natural and slightly mysterious feeling. The fantastic artwork bundles these elements and it also leaves no doubt about the style of the music. "Grom" houses pure black metal, probably influenced by albums such as "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" (listen, for instance, to the sick vocals in "Lasy Pomorza") or "Pure Holocaust" (the various high speed parts). Furthermore, it shares its heathenish elements with the works of Rob Darken's Graveland. Nevertheless, "Grom" reveals an own personality. Some purists might say that the Norwegian classics cannot be beaten and I tend to agree, but Behemoth have penned a very strong full-length as well. Some tracks are simply perfect.

The extremely dense "Lasy Pomorza" is among these immaculate creations. Its different parts, the combative and raging opening, the powerful yet relatively melodic verse and the elegiac chorus melt seamlessly with each other. The partially Attila-inspired singing walks the fine line between genius and insanity with instinctive certainty and the multi-layered guitar work goes hand in hand with dynamic tempo changes. "Passionate" is probably the word which describes tunes such as "Lasy Pomorza" perfectly. "Spellcraft and Heathendom", another unbeatable number, shows a very harsh side of the band. The guitar work is the driver for this mostly fast-paced eruption of violence. Behemoth cut a corridor through the Pomeranian forests with the power of a bulldozer. Nergal puts his black heart and the likewise black soul in this song. His raw and fervent vocal performance borders on lunacy, while the restlessly attacking guitars demoralise the Polish Catholics in a merciless manner. Please decide for yourself whether this is a tragic or not.

Yet Behemoth do not only focus on aggression. Consequently, the atmospheric intro and the outstanding beginning of "Dragon's Lair" are dominated by great keyboards lines. The intro is based on a very simple yet effective use of this sometimes tabooed instrument, while the keyboard melody of "Dragon's Lair" has an almost playful touch. (No panic, this does not mean that it fails to liaise with the driving guitars in an excellent manner.) A small number of somewhat folkloric sections is also integrated and the same goes for pretty melodic female vocals. Yet already the pure rawness of the album's mix prevents any form of laxity. The courageous three-piece did not intend to create a consensus-seeking sound. Blessed with a do-it-yourself mentality, the band itself produced the album. Thus, "Grom" shows an intoxicating, almost overmodulated mix with thick guitars, an outstanding density and contagious liveliness. The result is that the full-length scores with a pretty unique and very exciting character. Maybe I am just too old and my brain is a loser, but I do not know many other releases with a similar sound. Guess this is a very huge compliment for "Grom".

The music and lyrics have mostly been written by main man Nergal. Drummer Baal Ravenlock contributes the texts for two songs, bassist Les is happy while playing just his instrument. Speaking of the involved artists, I may not forget to mention the female guest singer. She shows up in some songs, for example during the fanatic first regular track. Her clean soprano avoids trite "beauty and the beast" stereotypes with great ease. Nevertheless, the duet with Nergal in the title track does not fully work, but this is probably not her guilt. The composition itself fails to reach the highest level. "Grom" is the rather slow-moving closer of the album and simultaneously the only song which does not deliver another uncompromising dose of sincere black metal. This is slightly regrettable, because the band had the potential to forge a totally perfect album. Anyway, the highly decorated scientist that I have mentioned at the beginning of this review smiles. "Grom", the album, is truly a thunder.

But Still Worth The Look - 76%

OzzyApu, May 28th, 2009

It’s odd that Grom happens to be the most overlooked album, since I always thought nobody gave two shits about Pandemonic Incantations. Behemoth set their place in the black metal scene a little later than most bands, but their impact was much stronger than anyone anticipated. I personally can trace likeable material from the very second demo, which is a huge plus since I don’t even listen to demos. Looking at the album art I already knew something was different – something… odd. I had this hunch that this wasn’t going to be another Sventevith, which may seem great since we want variety, but by the time I was halfway through the album I knew it wasn’t such a spectacular follow-up.

Most elements are retained from previous works, such as the gnarly leadwork, thrash-influenced drumming, and Nergal’s now raspy screams. Otherwise, production is much more “clear” and all the instruments are properly balanced in volume. Bass can be heard as a subtle rumble under everything, and it really sounds weird hearing it separately from the rest. I’d still compare this album a lot to Immortal’s Pure Holocaust since at the core this album sounds just like that one. Experimentation is present such as the use of more acoustic / folk sections, female vocals, and the overall tone of the album.

Guitar riffs and leads are pretty distorted and usually tremolo, but not that bad or thin compared to the previous recordings. They’re rough, aggressive, and atmospheric while the acoustics really give a more epic sound. Hearing them not only makes me feel relaxed and rejuvenated, but also spices things up for the songs themselves. They’re more interesting and suck you in moreso than most of the ones on Sventevith. Synth interludes / acoustics are top-notch, obscure sounding, and add even more to the supernatural / occult tone that has followed the band since the very beginning.

What I’m not fond of much are the female vocals, which do make me think of some witch in the forest, but really come off as the worst part of the album. Whenever I hear them I can’t help but be turned off by their off-key, out of place nature. Not only that, but the bitch also gets Nergal to try out some baroque sounding clean vocals, which suck even harder and detract from the true atmosphere. This album is supposed to sound haunting, mystic, and pagan, yet these two vocal inclusions don’t cut it for me.

What I am fond of is the drumming, once again; years of progression have turned Ravenlock into a pure beast on the kit. Double bass is excessive not in blast beats, but like a stampede with a spear and shield down a hill like on the cover art. The tom / snare patterns are catchy and timed in the main rhythm that they add more melody with their beats than before. In fact, you’ll be headbanging in sync more to the rapid-fire drumming than the riffs themselves.

Obviously this album is a step-down from the debut in some areas while it evolves in others. Even though drumming has greatly improved, it’ll be the last we ever hear of Ravenlock, since the demon Inferno would be recruited right after this. I forgot to mention that Nergal actually has a little bit of a growl in his screams here, so you know damn well that this is the base starting point in his vocal change. Production is much better than the previous two in clarity, but atmospheric wise you’ll get more out of the debut and previous EP. This album isn’t bad, but I find that I got less out of it in the end than the other ones and even the later ones – we’ll get there, eventually.

Different from their modern stuff, but very solid - 85%

Waspman, August 30th, 2006

Behemoth is a name that has long been associated with the highest quality heavy metal, especially since the band started making a big name for itself with its death metal releases, beginning with 1999’s SATANICA. Mostly due to availability issues, many fans are unaware that the band had put out three official releases prior to that (excluding demos). What’s more, the albums were quite far away from the precision death metal crafted by the band now; instead the albums fell squarely within the confines of mid-90’s black metal, right down to the extreme heathenistic lyrics. GROM was the band’s third release, surfacing to light in 1996.

So what does Behemoth circa 1996 have in store for us? Well, like I said, it’s pretty extreme black metal, cold and evil. The band at the time consisted of main man Nergal, plus two accomplices named Ravenlock and Les, neither of whom would survive until the next full-length.

Nergal has said that GROM is his least appreciated album in the Behemoth canon, not liking the “experimental” aspects that band tried, such as female vocals and choirs. Personally I found these to be small elements of the album, not really adding anything, but not detracting from the experience either. For the most part, this is searing black metal done up right. Favorites include the blistering “Spellcraft and Heathendom” which probably features the most tortured vocal performance on the record, and the catchy fuzzy bass of “Thou Shalt Forever Win”.

It is clear that Nergal was a master riff craftsman even back in ’96, as each song on here is memorable, except the somewhat annoying “Lasy Pomorza”. So while it is quite a different beast than the Behemoth of today, the band’s black metal era is nothing to be ashamed of. GROM is definitely worth finding.

-------Originally posted at Metal-Rules.com-------

One Thing's For Sure...This Is Weird. - 68%

ict1523, August 22nd, 2006

Today Behemoth is something way different from when they first started their careers. Behemoth's demos were awesome and real raw black metal. While this album can still be classified as black metal, it does start to show some signs of change. I think that this album is definitely a weird one, because its not truly black metal, and it isn't as good as the demos or as good as the death metal with blackish influences that would come after this album and the next.

The "Intro" I am neutral on. It isn't bad, but it is a bit boring. Its mainly the same melody being played over and over again by some weird instrument which sounds like an organ with some weak drumming in the background. For me the album really starts with "The Dark Forest" which is a pretty good song. It starts off with an angry scream from Nergal, and starts off very fast and brutal before it slows a bit. Its a rather long song, but it varies and doesn't get boring. Nergal's vocals here still have a typical black metal rasp but it is rather high in the mix which isn't always typical in raw black metal albums. The song has some breaks where we only have acoustic guitar, and it has some female vocals, which are good, but once again makes this album weird in that you can't really classify it as black metal...how many true black metal albums have female vocals going back and forth with clean male vocals for a bit? I can't think of one. Towards the end we also have a pretty nice and melodic solo which gets into a pretty high tone towards the end of it. Overall a different song but its one of the best on the album.

"Spellcraft and Heathendom" starts off with a pretty catchy riff that keeps going for a while. The song is another pretty fast one, with some good vocals and fast drumming. At times though we get a melodic riff that comes in front of the main guitar. It gives the song a bit more of a melodic feeling and also a bit more atmosphere. Another decent song.

"Dragon's Lair" starts off with a melody from what sounds like a synth before the rest of the instruments come in. It is also a bit of a melodic song with a break for acoustic guitar. Pretty enjoyable as well.

The next song is "Lasy Pomorza". Being Polish, I was interested in how this song would sound since the lyrics are sung in Polish here, and I haven't heard polish vocals in black metal yet. The song isn't all that incredible though, a pretty dark riff that is repeated a lot with some raspy vocals. If it weren't for me knowing that this song had polish lyrics, I wouldn't be able to tell anyway because of how unclear Nergal is singing them. So I really wasn't impressed with this song.

"Rising Proudly Towards The Sky" is another pretty unimpressive song. It sounds a bit like "Lasy Pomorza" in that its a pretty typical black metal song with little atmosphere and dark riffs being played over and over. The only interesting thing in this song is the solo in the background being played toward the middle. Towards the end there are some weird vocals which almost sound like moaning and they got a bit on my nerves.

"Thou Shalt Forever Win" is another song that sounds like its two predecesors. It has a break for acoustic guitar and it has a solo but the other parts just get boring, with the weird vocals and the boring typical raw riffs being played over and over.

The closer, "Grom", is a much more interesting song. It still sounds like raw black metal (despite the weird vocals at times), but it has a chorus sung by a female. Her singing is weird, but its different, and a bit more interesting and less annoying than the weird male vocals. As typical it has a break for acoustic guitar. One of the better songs on here.

So even though many of the songs have a raw black metal feel which I like, there are several things that ruin this album and separate it from black metal. One or two of the songs are a bit melodic, which isn't a bad thing, but isn't typical to black metal, and the weird vocals. The female isn't bad, but when the guy comes in with the vocals, it basically sounds like a constipated man moaning loudly. Pretty annoying. It isn't a bad album by any means, but I was expecting more of a black metal feel still kind of like their demos.

Epic and powerful release. - 95%

Taliesin, April 1st, 2006

While their first album "Storming the Baltic" was a classic black metal album along similar lines as Graveland and early Emperor (and would be later a giant influence on Nokturnal Mortum, among many others), Nergal and the other guys in Behemoth were not content. They continued their push to expand their sound and create black metal with true feeling.

This album sets itself apart in many ways. The pure atmosphere of the music is perhaps the most striking thing. Listening to this I am captivated from beginning to end, put into a land of darkness, endless forests and pagan spirits. The guitar has the high trebble fuzz sound of Burzum's Filosofem and Darkthrone's "A Blaze in the Northern Sky," while the drums blast and pound away like Mayhem's Hellhammer. The riffs themselves are very Mayhem-ish (unsurprisingly on the "Chaotica" 2 disc set, there is a bonus cover song of Mayhem's "Freezing Moon"), they have a melodic edge, and also a very aggressive feeling. Nergal's vocals are now in between his current death metal sound and the early high pitched Burzum screams. At times, like on "Rising Proudly Towards the Sky" his vocals are very obviously a homage to Attila. And since I like Attila's vocals, I find that Nergal's use of that sound works very well.

The main thing you could say about this release, is that while it has a minimalist heart, there is so much added stuff going on that even after listening to it many times I notice more things. Strange acoustic guitars, female vocals, riffs that turn from minimalist to complex at the turn of the hat. A beautiful fluidity marks all of this. Behemoth adds experimental touches to a sound that is based directly on fast, aggressive and atmospheric black metal.

Any fan of pagan black metal must own this release, and Behemoth's first as well. Without them your collection will never be complete. Gromm is every bit a classic, it's an album that stuns me every time I put it in. Ignore what the naysayers have to say about early Behemoth, and listen to black metal fans, and you'll soon find out why Behemoth was considered one of the best black metal bands, until they cowardly changed face.

Not for black metal fans. - 50%

Symphony_Of_Terror, November 4th, 2004

Behemoth is a band that has changed drastically from “true” black metal, to a fusion of blackened death metal. Grom is a middle point between their black metal roots, and their newer era material Zos Kia Kultus and Demigod. While Grom does a good job with several elements like fast aggressive drumming and harsh aggressive vocals, it also has several elements that are very out of place. Elements like female vocals, clean vocals, and long bridges which seem to progress towards nothing. With many things going on in this album, it presents a challenge to listeners. Who will like this album? Will it appeal more to death metal listeners? Black Metal fans? Or the general Metal enthusiast? Perhaps all?

Grom starts out with your typical intro that many black metal bands may do, or metal bands in general. Its nothing special, in fact it becomes repetitive and trite after forty seconds or so in its simplicity. Generally the goal of such intros is to set a tone or progression that leads into something more powerful, which this does, so mission accomplished. The intro leads into some of the fastest drumming I have heard from Behemoth on the second song of the album The Dark Forest (Cast Me Your Spell) . Equally as heavy as the acclaimed Zos Kia Kultus and Thelma 6, but significantly faster. Its similar to that of Heaven Shall Burn era Marduk. Its quite fast and aggressive with a lot of changes which keep it as the center of focus along with the riff. With all the variations of the drumming there Is a lot to pay attention to, this is not something typical for black metal, since a lot of black metal bands consider drumming to be just there, the riff makes the grim feel to it. Other examples of fast, aggressive, complex, and ever changing drumming are found on other tracks like Thou Shalt Forever Win. Of all the elements of Grom, the drumming strikes me as the best, most interesting, and complex. I feel the drumming and composition of the drumming will appeal to all metal fans alike, what metal head doesn’t like fast and aggressive drumming with many different interesting things going on?

Anyone familiar with Behemoth’s earlier works (The Forest Dreams Eternally to …From The Pagan Vastlands) knows well that they started out as “true” black metal. As time evolved they turned their sounds into that of blackened death metal with focuses on progression. By the release of Grom Behemoth lost many of their black metal roots or changed them to a fusion of black and death. This goes for all except the vocals. Nergal sings on Grom with harsh and screeching vocals that remind me of Darkthrone’s of sorts. They are not as deep as on Behemoth’s later works, but I feel are much better. They are more brutal, and fit the music much better by adding more of an atmosphere. The harsher higher pitched vocal singing from Nergal works well because he can drag out his singing longer which goes well with the constant drumming and guitar work on this album. On Behemoth’s most recent works the music is choppy and broken up, which lends to a choppy, deeper, and less harsh style of singing. That style of singing I feel is weaker and lacks the power and atmosphere that Nergal Creates with his vocals on Grom. This vocal style will appeal to Black Metal fans more than anyone else.

There are parts of this album a metal head would love, where a black metal fan would hate. When an album tries to do too many things it alienates certain demographics of listeners, example (black metal fans, death metal fans, prog fans). What Grom tries to do to much of is incorporate elements foreign to that of straight forward aggressive black metal. This is not to say that other black metal bands haven’t used acoustic guitars, synths, female vocals, clean vocals, this is saying that they are used horribly here to the point where they ruin the flow of the album and make some tracks unlistenable to. On The Dark Forest (Cast Me Your Spell) the song starts off great, aggressive and interesting drumming, grim and relentless riffs, all that you expect from a good black metal album. Then the song crashes, a slow picking acoustic guitar will start to play which breaks the flow of the song as well as the small atmosphere that it was creating. To further exacerbate the disruption to the flow and consistency of the song, clean male vocals followed by mediocre female vocals drone on for too long over slow and boring drumming. Finally burying the song is an out of place guitar solo that is washed out and slow, making the song almost sounds like guitar rock. This break in consistency coupled with bad elements such as clean vocals and a horrible guitar solo completely destroy any enjoyably obtained by the intro track and the music from the beginning of the song.

The songs following are all quite good, except for a very repetitive length of Spellcraft And Heathendom. Nergal says the same thing to much over and over again, and makes his vocals seem less harsh and more screaming. Other such moments which are a turn off or less than par are the week ending to the otherwise strong song Lasy Pomorza. Lasy Pomorza is full of aggressive and fast drumming, grim and raw guitar riffs, and dark, harsh vocals. Making it full of atmosphere and aggressive to head bang to. With such a strong premise set up, the ending just doesn’t do the song justice, thus breaking the consistency once again. Rising Proudly Towards The Sky basically repeats the errors of On The Dark Forest (cast Me Your Spell). Out of place clean vocals is what plaques that particular song the worst. Despite several moments of Grom that destroy the consistency of the album and take away from its most redeeming moments, it still manages to present a worthy listen. I often found myself banging my head to some aggressive, brutal drumming as sell as noticing myself getting into the rhythm of some of the guitar work while admiring the desolate screeching harsh vocals of Nergal.


This album attempts to be many things, early 90’s black metal, blackened progressive metal, death metal, and a fusion of a few of these genres. Unfortunately this hurts this album. Grom attempts to do to many musical styles and incorporate to many musical elements into its music it loses its identity. With all the break in consistency that resemble nothing of previously established black metal, or anything that is recognizable as black metal, Grom fails to be black metal. The album fails to be death metal since the vocals are (when sung by Nergal) clearly black metal. Many people will say labeling a band or album in a genre is unnecessary, just enjoy the music created. Well for Grom’s case, having no identity hurts this album greatly. Through out the entire album Grom tries to find what it is, and fails by trying to be to much. Thus this makes the listener have a difficult time trying to enjoy the album a certain way. Black metal fans will be looking for the atmosphere and aggression, which is to be found with the vocals, drums, and guitars, but as stated before, these moments are shattered by inconsistency. The progressive metal fans will be turned off by the black metal vocals. This album will only find a home in the hearts of the general metal enthusiast while it isolates the listeners of specific genre’s. Ergo this review being done by a black metal fan, I found the album to inconsistent and not powerful enough to listen to, the atmosphere created was weak and broken to much. Perhaps someone who is into heavy metal and death metal will like it more. Over all an average album, not good, but not horrible.