I came across Griis while going through some of the newer Black Metal coming out of Europe this year. The name meant nothing to me and that’s usually when I pay a little more attention. No expectations, no history with the band, just three songs sitting there waiting to be heard. After a few spins, I knew this was one I wanted to write about.
Griis are from the Netherlands and only came together in 2025, so there isn’t a long discography to go through. The lineup comes from musicians involved with bands such as Burial Remains, Silver Knife, Neroth and Onhou. ‘Demo 2026’ is basically the first proper introduction to what they are doing, and with only three tracks, it gets straight into the music without padding things out.
What grabbed me was the guitar work. There is a coldness to the riffs, but they aren’t buried under layers of effects. Some parts have that familiar Scandinavian bite, while other passages lean into a more straightforward Dutch aggression. The riffs are allowed to breathe instead of having every second filled with another guitar layer.
The drums have the same approach. Fast when they need to be, but there are enough changes in pace to stop the whole thing becoming one long blast. The vocals are harsh and buried into the overall sound rather than sitting on top of everything. It gives the recording a rough edge that suits a first demo.
I wouldn’t go into this expecting some radical new interpretation of Black Metal. That’s not what interested me anyway. What I heard was a band that clearly understands the music they are playing and isn’t trying to make it more complicated than it needs to be. The melodies are there, but they don’t turn the songs into polished melodic Black Metal. They sit inside the riffs and come through when you spend a little more time with the recording.
Three songs and roughly fifteen minutes is enough. I actually prefer that to a new band throwing ten tracks onto a debut and leaving you wondering when it is going to finish. ‘Demo 2026’ leaves you wanting to hear what comes next, which is exactly where I think a demo should leave you.
Griis is still an unknown name to most people, but that’s part of the fun. There are plenty of established bands releasing material every year, while small releases like this can easily disappear underneath everything else. This one shouldn’t.
