Germ – Grief (2013)

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The multi-talented Tim Yatras returns with another crazy release from his latest project: Germ. In “Grief” we get 69 more minutes of the deranged world that Germ creates with their truly unique and very extreme musical style. Arriving just in time for Halloween (in North America), this is one hell of a release that if you liked the band’s previous albums, it will push you to further limits thanks to a bigger assortment of diverse influences.

After a space-ish intro, the album really starts with the very catchy and unsettling “Butterfly”. Featuring Audrey Sylvain (Peste Noire) on this track, we definitely got an instant Amesoeurs vibe from the track until Tim laid his chaotic screams. Besides the catchy song structure, the piano section is quite cool and unique sounding in this track. In true Germ fashion, “The Stain of Past Regrets” immediately blows in your face with powerful screams. The catchy mixture of electronic elements is a staple of the band and it elevates this track to further levels of awesomeness when paired with the clean vocals.

Just after a weird interlude track (“Departures”), “Memorial Address” brings forth more hellish screams and a very melodic structure that is just what we come to expect from Germ. The guitar work is quite diverse in this nearly nine-minute long song, adding to the overall experience and featuring some very cool leads. Going into some ambient territory, “An End” quickly changes the pace before the contrasting brutality of “Beneath the Clifs”. In this last track, the atmospheric elements are quite vibrant and give a very ethereal vibe that is nicely anchored by the powerful vocals.

One of our favorite tracks in this release is the very tense and highly atmospheric “Blue as the Sky, Powerful as the Waves”. For all of Tim’s clean vocals haters, they will have a field day with the solemn “How Can I?”, a track that at first feels very out of place in the release, but after a few spins, it nicely fits in the grand scheme of things. The whole mellow vibe continues with “I Can See it in the Stars”, a song that has some cool Doom elements mixed into some more melancholic Pop-ish elements.

The aggression finally returns with the crushing “It’s Over…”, a track that immediately changes the mood, but keeps a similar atmospheric theme in the background. “Withering In Hell” is another of our favorite tracks thanks to the catchy keyboards mixed in with Tim’s signature vocals, creating a quite contrasting but awesome mix. Closing the release with have the soothing atmospheric piece “Ghost Tree pt. 3”, a song that makes up for a very relaxing end to a very unique release.
Overall, “Grief” is one hell of a release that expands the band’s sound while keeping intact all the cool elements we love about Germ. If you like the band’s early releases and Austere and Grey Waters, this is just the release for you, the band keeps getting better and the music continues to get weirder…. Awesome indeed!

Band: Germ Album: Grief

Label: Eisenwald

Release: October 29th, 2013

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Genre: Post-Black Metal / Ambient / Experimental

Country: Australia

Rating: 94/100
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