Album Review: Grafvitnir – Keys to the Mysteries Beyond (Carnal Records)

Swedish Black Metal band Grafvitnir have announced the December 15th 2017 release by Carnal Records of their new album Keys to the Mysteries Beyond.

As black metal as they come, Grafvitnir have previously released four full-length albums titled NâHash, Semen Serpentis, Necrosophia and Obeisance to a Witch Moon, and a cassette named Vessels of Serpent Fire.

Keys to the Mysteries Beyond is all about hard-hitting, raw & bitterly cold filled blackened metal. Spitting venom & dripping in revulsion, Grafvitnir get the evil ritual off to a blasting start with the corrosive Nidhögg, a track that is utterly brutalising. Not that there is any real let up throughout the 10 tracks here.

As furious & nasty as the title track, Vargavinter and Eternity’s Glistening Black are, there is order amongst the chaos. Riff heavy & very rhythmic in its approach, Grafvitnir absolutely nail the sense of coldness & isolation.

Unfortunetly though the longer the album goes on, the more it begins to bleed together. The constant hammering of black metal starts to sound too similar & forgettable. The likes of Unleash the Storm of Nothingness & Eye of Lucifer just don’t stand out beyond crushing heaviness.

By time the final track, Glimpses of the Unseeable comes along it’s hard to be as invested as you might have been at the start. Ending in a flurry of vomit-inducing black metal darkness, it’s perfectly solid just uninspiring.

Grafvitnir – Keys to the Mysteries Beyond Full Track Listing:

1. Nidhögg
2. Key to the Mysteries Beyond
3. Vargavinter
4. Crossing the Abyss
5. Eternity’s Glistening Black
6. Journey into Storms
7. Unleash the Storm of Nothingness
8. Eye of Lucifer
9. Whispers of the Primordial Sea
10. Glimpses of the Unseeable

Keep up to date with news regarding the album release by liking the band’s Facebook Page as well as Carnal Records Facebook Page.