Review by Jeger on July 26, 2026.

You can feel it in the gentle push of the Northern wind as it penetrates the cusp of the Woodland, through the trees, past the clearing and into the pines where solitude and sanctuary are as one. You can hear it in the creek; it's cool running water like Mother Nature's whisper. And you can sense the danger… Sometimes distant, other times seemingly right behind you. Surrounded by darkness and suppressing the childlike urge to nervously pick up the pace. The silence of humanity's absence and the comfort of nightshade's familiar blanket over the land as we approach home and prepare for our own sacred slumber… Yes, it's another Black Metal album about the Woods at night…

Grimveil is an Atmospheric Black Metal project composed of Order of Nosferat/TÅRFÖDD pedigree - a duo whose vision for Black Metal is one comprised of Woodland magick - great spirits of yore whose presences can always be felt. Under their austere gaze are we now as we venture through the Woods into that place of awe, of letting go and of realizing just how little everything that takes place outside of the Woods actually means. On June 5, Grimveil released their sophomore LP, "Beneath The Veil Of Silent Woods", via Purity-Through-Fire.

"Where The Path Fades To Nothing" is where we begin. Shut up for a sec, listen. Listen to the breeze as it shuffles the surrounding brush and canopy above. Listen to the majestic Owl; calling out in solitary its regal sound and just beyond both, the faintest crash of the tide as swell upon swell splash the base of the cliff below. Lost in the simplicity of the experience and remembering youthful days perhaps, or perhaps it's a spirit of anticipation that has cinched you; just waiting for the Black Metal to begin! And it surely does, surely as the inevitability of another Depressive Episode and the music is fitting as such. Melancholic and dragging, at least until the halfway point when melodic tremolo riffs and ethereal keyboard effects begin to liven the environment up a bit. Enter some martial Rock-inspired rhythms and finishing strong are we during the opening track's closing moments.

The wind is sweeping and colder now as we take in a similar intro to the opener for track two, "Into The Depths Of Shrouded Pines". Only it's towards the sound of a wind chime off in the distance where our ears have turned and just as another segment of stunning BM comes to a close, the warmth of a bonfire, the spell of gentle acoustic guitar playing and that feeling of being exactly where you're meant to be at this exact moment in time - once again under Atmospheric Black Metal's spellbinding grip.

I always get a kick out of just how powerful a simple stroll through Nature can be. There's a connection there that is so necessary, so vital and yet we starve ourselves of it each day, all the while as the childlike wonder that used to make those experiences absolute magic fades more and more with each passing year. But if you listen and remember hard enough while you take in "The Distant Murmur Of Trees" - its brilliant alternations between miserable tones and this bizarre sort of uplift in melody that somehow pulls you out from what was quite the somber ordeal - you might just cerebrally transport back to childhood when you actually appreciated things like the smell of the Woods in the morning or the feeling of excitement that came with exploring an undiscovered portion of Woods. On the other end? It was always the rear of an old crusty Shopping Mall or a Construction Site… But it was the thrill of the adventure that was important… The thrill of being at one with Nature.

Throughout the entirety of "Beneath The Veil Of Silent Woods", you'll have opportunities to experience natural soundscapes set to acoustic guitar like if a couple of white guys wrote a Blackbraid record… But it's the post-intro aggression/momentum of "Where Beauty Breathes In Silence" that makes this album special. That and the triumphant nature of the Acoustic Guitar before Vampiric tones set in during the following track, "A Fog Devours The Trail". Immediately rocketed into a fourth dimension of classic Vampiric BM horror: ghastly, fast-paced and suspenseful.

A visuals and mood-inspiring opus! BM for morning constitutionals and for reconnecting with Nature. For the simple power in even the most brief or humble sojourns amongst the trees or for a grande adventure through the Western Redwoods! Just a little something that you just won't find anywhere else: Death Metal, Thrash or even the most heartfelt Heavy and Doom Metals - Mother Earth as the canvas, the blessed strumming of the string and beating of the drum as the brush. Enjoy…

Rating: 9 out of 10