{"id":110346,"date":"2025-08-31T19:39:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T19:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/110346\/"},"modified":"2025-08-31T19:39:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T19:39:13","slug":"burden-of-ymir-the-long-winter-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/110346\/","title":{"rendered":"Burden of Ymir – The Long Winter Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Joe Caswell of Sudbury, Canada first caught the attention of this blog in 2023, as the sole member of Drowstorm and Burden of Ymir. Both projects released albums in 2023<\/a>, impressing all who wrote about them. In my case, Heorot<\/a> was a fantastic introduction to the latter band, a blackened-yet-folky display of Viking metal that appealed to both my appreciation for mythologically-themed metal and my long<\/a>\u2013held<\/a> belief<\/a> that the accordion is the most metal of all the instruments. Now, just over two years later, Burden of Ymir return with its sixth full-length release (in as many years!): The Long Winter, with an album cover that promises just as much blackened goodness as we\u2019ve come to hope for. At this point in the year, I\u2019d love a long winter, but I\u2019ll settle for some frosty metal if that\u2019s what\u2019s being offered!<\/p>\n

At first glance, The Long Winter is exactly what you expect from Caswell and Burden of Ymir; the Norse influence is tangible, the black metal is blisteringly fast, and the accordion is present. And yet, The Long Winter is a darker, heavier record than its predecessor. Caswell does not hold back in the riffs department, and it\u2019s a testament to his songwriting that The Long Winter feels heavy for the full forty-five minutes without sounding forced. Compared to Heorot, The Long Winter sees Burden of Ymir treading slightly less folk-y waters, focusing more on its black metal influences and allowing the concept to do some more of the lifting on the folk side. Songs like \u201cLike Blood in the Snow\u201d are angry, pulling no punches and letting riffs and blast beats shine. It\u2019s recognizably Burden of Ymir, but sees a definitive step in a new\u2014but still familiar\u2014direction.<\/p>\n

The Long Winter by Burden of Ymir<\/a><\/p>\n

Still, folky fusion and blackened metal are two things Burden of Ymir do extremely well, and having the metal heavier only enhances the union. Opener \u201cAs Witches Under Cloak of Night\u201d is a multifaceted gem with hooks, moody, tense interludes, and a galloping chorus that\u2019ll have you setting sail before you know it. \u201cStrange Craft\u201d builds around an accordion lead in its intro into an unsettling, melodic journey through dark magic and black forests before exploding into black metal fury. \u201cAnother Seed of Yggdrasil\u201d breaks out the clean singing for a mystical chorus that counterbalances Caswell\u2019s rasps\u2014as up to the task as ever, but at their most effective working alongside these more melodic elements. All this is to say that Caswell\u2019s ability to blend black metal and Viking themes is as strong as ever, and The Long Winter is more enjoyable for it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve mentioned that The Long Winter dials back a bit on the \u201cViking\u201d quality that was so apparent in Heorot, resulting in a listen that ultimately leans blacker and heavier than folky. The aforementioned accordion makes a few, brief appearances, and Caswell\u2019s clean singing is much diminished. More notably, the hooky writing from Heorot is curiously absent; more songs are carried by riffs than leads, resulting in an overall less melodic listen. This makes tracks like \u201cStrange Craft\u201d and \u201cAs Witches Under Cloak of Night\u201d stand out\u2014they\u2019re generally more energetic than the rest of the album, particularly the closing third. While it\u2019s certainly all strong, it feels like the blend doesn\u2019t quite mesh the way it should. There are a bunch of songs I love here, several that I like, and a few that feel like they\u2019re there to beef up The Long Winter more so than entertain. They are entertaining\u2014I can\u2019t stress that enough\u2014but I would hazard a guess that Burden of Ymir has a slightly different vision for The Long Winter than what I\u2019ve personally experienced.<\/p>\n

Still, Caswell is a great songwriter, strong guitarist, and knows his mythologies, meaning The Long Winter is a fun listen that continues his hot streak over several one-man projects, styles, and album releases. If black metal is your thing, there\u2019s something for you here. If Viking folk is your thing, there\u2019s something for you here. I won\u2019t say it all comes together perfectly, but it doesn\u2019t really have to. It just has to be enjoyable to listen to for most of an hour, and it is. If you like any of the above styles, I would happily recommend you take a break from the awful weather we\u2019re having (read: warm) and enjoy a long winter instead.<\/p>\n

Rating: 3.0\/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb\/s mp3
Label: Flowing Downward<\/a>
Websites: burdenofymir.bandcamp.com<\/a> | facebook.com\/BurdenOfYmir<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: July 4th, 2025<\/p>\n

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