Burden of Ymir – Heorot [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]

Joe Caswell, of Ontario, Canada, is having quite the year; his newest band, Swamp Fiend, released their debut full-length this year, and both of his solo projects, Drowstorm and Burden of Ymir, put out new releases within two weeks of each other. It would be understandable if these solo releases were only fine; it would be impressive if they were decent. But instead, they’re actually good, and Burden of Ymir’s Heorot in particular stands as a shining example of folky black metal, playing with a level of quality that would make you think it’s the only thing Caswell had worked on all year. For fans of black metal, fans of folk metal, and those who understand that the accordion is the most metal of all the instruments, Heorot is here for you.

But first, a fun fact: up until 10 minutes ago, when I downloaded the image you see over there for this article, I thought the cover image for Heorot was this image—the cover image for Burden of Ymir’s debut, Jötnar. At no point did I question this, because the image fits! Impressive, Norse, and huge—that’s this album in a nutshell. Whether in the chanted cleans that augment the snarls (with special effect on “Recounting on the Seas”), the always-welcome accordion (seriously, try getting “Monsters of the Lake” out of your head—not easy!), or the generally adventurous guitar tremolos (on basically every song), Heorot is an album that is filled with adventurous, exciting, Viking metal. Despite my earlier description of the music as “Norse,” the actual subject matter is Old English—Beowulf, to be precise. You can feel the presence of a unifying theme throughout; the album feels like an adventure, a quest, a noble table, and is a treat to listen to through its full forty-three-minute runtime.

Heorot by Burden of Ymir

Of course, it helps that the songwriting is terrific. Burden of Ymir knows how to write hooks, whether vocally, through guitars, or via folky additions. You’ve got the short-and-sweet songs, like “Revenge Found in the Night,” which put the black metal on full blast, including dramatic shifts in tone that keep the song fresh. In a similar vein, “Monsters of the Lake” is a phenomenal folk metal tune, taking one super-catchy lead and running with it, with accordion and guitar lead both. These songs are quick, heavy, and fun. On the other side of the album are “Recounting on the Seas” and “The Ninth Hour Approaches,” both of which demonstrate that Caswell can kill a longer song too—the level of storytelling and musical variance on display keeps either song from overstaying their welcome, and I appreciate in particular the mid-pace tempo of the latter song. All throughout Heorot, the songwriting is sharp, making for a thoroughly enjoyable record.

The colder it gets outside, the more I like Heorot. This is an album that, like its actual, correct cover image, embodies a wintry spirit and an adventurous style—something I’ve felt was sorely missing this year! So if you did miss out on the sophomore full-length from Burden of Ymir, this is your call to change that. Heorot is an adventure I you probably don’t want to miss out on. I’m certainly glad I didn’t.

Tracks to Check Out: “Monsters of the Lake,” “Threat of Fire,” “The Great Mead Hall”

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