Helheim |Jormundgand |Darkness Shall Rise Productions (Reissue/Remastered)

Release Date: September 10th, 2025
Format: LP/CD/Digital
Genre: Nordic Black Metal
Country: Norway

Helheim came out of Bergen in the early 90s, right when Norwegian black metal was still feral, dangerous and very much alive. Formed in 1992, the band built its identity on Norse mythology, long song structures and a colder, more epic take on the genre. By the time they reached their debut full length, they already sounded locked into their own world, not chasing trends, just carving runes into stone the hard way.

“Jormundgand” first surfaced in 1995 and it hit like a frostbite slap. The title track alone made it clear that Helheim were aiming high, stretching black metal into longer forms without losing bite. The drumming cuts fast and hard, the guitars scrape and coil, and the vocals scream with that early Norwegian sickness that still burns decades later. The Count Grishnackh comparison makes sense, but Helheim never sink into imitation, their phrasing and pacing push things into a more epic and grim direction.

What really keeps this album strong is how consistent it stays across its full length. Tracks like “Vigrids Vård”, “Gravlagt I Eljudne” and “Svart Visdom” hit with the same cold resolve, shifting tempos and melodies while staying rooted in a Nordic mindset. There is a clear Enslaved influence hovering around the songwriting, but Helheim twist it into something rougher and more hostile. The album sounds hungry, focused and mean, the kind of black metal that stares straight ahead instead of posing.

Recorded at Grieghallen Studio in 1995, “Jormundgand” still stands as a sharp document of that era, when rebellion, creativity and cold atmosphere were tangled together. The 2025 remaster by Patrick W. Engel gives the album more punch without sanding down its edges, which is crucial for music like this. Thirty years later, it still sounds dangerous enough to matter, not frozen in nostalgia, just alive and biting.

This anniversary reissue adds serious value with its deep interview, massive booklet and carefully handled vinyl editions, but the core remains the music itself. “Jormundgand” is not perfect, but it is strong, memorable and firmly planted in black metal history. For anyone who values the colder, more epic side of Norwegian black metal, this album still earns its place on the shelf.

Score: 8.5