Artist: Grief
Country: Chile
Label: Self-Released
Formats: Demo Tape
Year: 2025
Over the past few years, Chilean Black Metal is something that we have learned to reckon with. Yet, it certainly is not only Lord Valtgryftåke that is dictating the scene in that South American land. I have mentioned him before in several of my other reviews; he might be the most prolific Black Metal musicians and being well able to position himself well, he certainly is not the only one.
Grief is one of the newest bands from those fertile Chilean Black Metal breeding grounds. This one-man band emerged out of the ashes of Oldeath, a band that was laid to rest when the individual band members realized they were more invested in their own/other projects, but it has very little in common with that band. Oldeath was primarily based on the Swedish Watain-like cornerstones, Grief on the other hand offers a far more raw and emotional affair.
The rawness might not be the most astonishing, but I am sure with a band name like Grief it is far from a surprise that the emphasis is mainly found in the atmosphere of the music. ‘Dark Epiphanies Of Nihilism’ is a thoroughly melancholic piece of Black Metal that has its roots firmly placed in the traditional 90’s Black Metal. The rawness that stems from bands like Darkthrone and Burzum shines through in obvious ways, but it is the synth-work that makes Grief more than yet another Black Metal band.
In that regard, Grief certainly fits well within the ranks of the Chilean Black Metal, that generally ventures in the same sort direction of Norwegian Raw Black Metal that is heavily laced with atmospheric elements. To paint yourself a solid picture of what Grief sounds like, you can imagine something that finds itself in between bands like Forgotten Woods, Joyless, Gehenna and early Ulver. Simply put: a natural blend of the raw energy of Black Metal’s second wave and the beauty of a folky and atmospheric grandeur.
