Portugal, a once mighty seafaring nation that once possessed nearly half of the world (for as far as Pope Alexander VI was concerned when he signed the Treaty of Tordesillas). Why mention this you ask? Well, in those times Portugal was a key player in discovering the ‘New World’. A somewhat farfetched parallel can be drawn to the here and now. In recent years we’ve seen a slow but undeniable rise of Extreme Metal bands emerging from said sun drenched land. Within Black Metal alone there’re bands spawning at alarming rate. To such an extent that whole movements or circles are forming. Like the Black Circle and the Aldebaran Circle. The latter is home to Ginnungagap. A band that has been active since 2019 and has released a demo, EP and a full length. The latter is under discussion here and bears the title ‘Helical Arising’. It’s essentially a Black Metal record that puts atmosphere above all else.
In its forty minutes span the record is imprinting its mark with full force. It does so by applying only once constant force. That force is consisting of icy tremolo picked guitar riffs with little thrills to it. What the guitars lack in their presentation is made up for by symphonic elements. Again, these keyboard passages might be uninteresting on their own, but they complement the guitars beautifully. It does so by playing big chords and following the exact same lines as the guitars do. This trick is usually applied to the bass (in Black Metal that is). Speaking of bass, it’s hard to find on ‘Helical Arising’. Only when really focussing on the low-end of the mix it becomes audible (safe for the track ‘Forest of Hyperborean Evil’. Though I find this approach interesting, it has it’s drawbacks. Once you’ve gotten used to Ginnungagap’s sound, the harder it gets from them to keep your attention. After a while, every song blurs forth into the next, leaving little standout moments.
A pleasant surprise comes in the fact that the drums are actually played by a real person on a real kit! Despite being quite low in the mix, this does add a lot of value to the record. Black Metal with actual drums (that sound authentic too) always adds a kind of sincerity to the music in my opinion. As said, the drums are low in the mix and the emphasis lies on the atmosphere here, but the drummer thankfully incorporates varied rolls and beats throughout the songs. The seasoned listener will even find some interesting and unusual fills here and there. The main point for complains, however, would be in the vocal department. The vocalist utilizes a kind croaky rasp alternated by mournful singing. The kind you’d find mostly in DSBM related projects. It’s true these techniques always fall victim to personal taste, but I rarely enjoy them. I can understand Ginnungagap’s decision to opt for this style, since it is prone to enhance the atmosphere, but I’d rather they didn’t.
So, the first full-length of Ginnungagap is certainly worth listening for those who prefer Atmospheric Black Metal over aggressive Black Metal. The simplistic approach to the guitars and the keys make for an immersive record, but one that does tend to bore after having spun it a few times. Drums are the highlight here and do offer versatility here. Things take a turn for the worse in the vocal department, however it might be down to taste when it comes to this mournful approach. All things consider, I’d recommend this to fans of Paysage d’Hiver, Evilfeast or Xasthur.
