MIMORIUM is Black Metal band out of Pieksämäki in the Southern Savonia region of Finland. They formed in 2016 and released their second full-length album, "Blood of Qayin," on February 21, 2020. The album spans eight tracks and times out at just over forty-one minutes. While the album features the expected triumvirate of tremolo, blast beats, and raking vocals produced at a level which can only be described as a greyscape, there's also a surprising amount of Thrash-infused riffs, adding the some red viscera to the grey.

Thematically and lyrically, I can only guess based on the song titles and album cover . . . but going out on a limb, I'd say the album is about darkness, cosmic insignificance, death (always requisite), and discord. The album title clearly references the biblical Cain, though the spelling borrows from an older and more obscure tradition. Production-wise, refer to my earlier 'greyscape' comment, though there is a bit more bottom to the mix than most Black Metal releases.

The most distinguishing aspect of the album is the resistance against melodic harmonies and instead the adoption of riffs that lean more toward Thrash and sometimes even Doom. There is also some refreshing variety to the vocals, oscillating from raw and raspy to booming and guttural. Stand out tracks include: "I am What We Are," "Profane Breed," "Left Hand of the North," and "Two Faced Shadow." I also love the savage riffs of the final track, "Hunter," and the evocative spoken words right at the end that suggest more of a desperate plea or proclamation than any sort of narrative flourish.

Overall, "Blood of Qayin" is unrelenting Finnish Black Metal. There is a notable absence of ballads, symphonic orchestrations, and acoustic interludes on this album. As the sophomore offering from MIMORIUM, I have feeling these lads are going to be wreaking some serious havoc in the Black Metal scene for some time to come.