Artist: Eternal Ice / Vëřťžîmbrÿġțžûmşțřě
Country: Japan / USA
Label: Elf Eggs
Formats: Split Tape
Year: 2026
For the ever-prolific Eternal Ice this is their tenth (and seventh split) recording since their inception in late 2024, so if you consider yourself a fervent consumer of true underground Black Metal it is highly likely that you’ve come across this Japanese band before. Their split partner of choice on this cassette tape is yet another project of the equally productive E, here operating under the pseudonym Germ. He is also known for his work in/with bands such as Right Red Hand Of Plague, Asiratic Lithomancy, Thirsting Ampoule, Great Tribulation and Zkywbrezdreb. In short: Black Metal enthusiasts can once again look forward to a solid dose of raw music.
Eternal Ice is opening with three new tracks in their recognizable own style: a rather brisk and steady pace (never truly fast), rocking riffs and very prominent croaky vocals. Now that this Japanese duo has built up a substantial discography, it’s fair to say they have something that is not only easily recognisable, but above all a musical formula set in stone. Across the course of their releases, they have refined their sound and the tracks flow a little more fluidly, but it’s all built on the same musical principle. Some may find this a bit monotonous, whilst others see it as an ever-evolving personal style. Upon closer analysis of these three new tracks, it is really only possible to conclude that they sound just a touch more melancholic and have a fairly strong Heavy Metal feel here and there. Otherwise, this is Eternal Ice as we have come to know them.
Out of all E’s projects, this particular one was the least familiar to me. Amidst the deluge of releases and a severe lack of time, I’d completely failed to give Vëřťžîmbrÿġțžûmşțřě a proper listen earlier on. Vëřťžîmbrÿġțžûmşțřě is one of E’s two projects with an unpronounceable name; the other being Zkywbrezdreb, though that does more or less indicate the musical direction. Now that I’ve had the chance to listen back to the first two demos, ‘In Silence, Become Inauspicious’ and ‘Invoking The Winged Star’ (both from 2025), one thing is clear: Vëřťžîmbrÿġțžûmşțřě is also largely based on the suffocating Black Metal tradition of the French visionaries from Les Légions Noires. The comparison already suggested by the band name is also carried through musically. Razor-sharp riffs and a vigorous tempo form the foundation upon which the morbid vocals settle, all cast in a chillingly mechanical sound. Yet, through a series of somewhat melancholic, almost inaudible melodies floating in the background that sway your mood, the project puts its own spin on the classic Les Légions Noires sound. Despite what the band name might suggest, Vëřťžîmbrÿġțžûmşțřě is perhaps E’s most traditionally sounding Black Metal project thus far.
