Harms embodies coldness.
Formed in Finland in 2017, the band led by Juho Haikonen (bass), Jussi Loiri (guitar/keyboards), Viljami Rings (drums), Visa Tuovinen (guitar/vocals), and Jussi Tyrisevä (vocals) has signed with Time to Kill Records for the release of their second album, Rebirth of the Cold.
The album opens gently with Endlessness, an ethereal introduction where the vocalist eventually steps in, tinging the melancholy with a rougher edge before transitioning into Serpentine Calling, a highly aggressive and jagged track that feels somewhat imposing, almost majestic, when the screams aren’t reminding us of its violence. The track is fairly short, but its intensity leaves a mark before the moment of uncertainty offered by True Night Falls, which weaves its oppression much more gradually with heavy, dissonant tones to make them feel even heavier, like a plunge into darkness. The track slows down, then begins to build again, offering us a second wave that leads into Flowerless Grave, a slightly slower composition rooted in cold, mechanical post-metal tones that are gradually haunted by screams; however, a female voice reverses the trend, softening the break as well as the finale, before a violin introduces A Lifetime Spent on Dying, the next track. Once the serenade ends, the intensity returns with a vengeance, delivering intoxicating Doom touches that take on an almost solemn air combined with visceral vocals, allowing the rhythm section to slow down, but above all to ignite into an intense finale before Rupture reveals scathing and virulent Post-Black Metal influences. The frenzied pace fits perfectly with this atmosphere – part tranquil, part alarmist – allowing the musicians to return to that jerky rhythm that hammers our minds before a brief moment of respite, then the new acceleration leads us to that menacing final. The sound is reborn with Essence of Sorrow, a track that starts off fairly gentle but allows itself a few more powerful outbursts while retaining its ethereal quality, even blending once again with the violin toward the end, then we move on to Apollonia, which proves to be both mysterious and, at the same time, quite refined. The rhythm section explodes from time to time, serving as a foundation for the vocalists’ screams, which naturally lead into Cold Aeon of Time, a final eruption of fury with multiple influences that gives way to melodious, haunting keyboards to counterbalance the violence and furious black metal roots before fading away for good.
I had never heard of Harms before, and I’m so glad I gave it a try! Rebirth of the Cold is one of those unexpected albums that creates a perfectly dreamy and captivating atmosphere without trying to fit into any specific genre.
90/100