Burden of Ymir – The Long Winter Review

By Twelve

Joe Caswell of Sudbury, Canada first caught the attention of this blog in 2023, as the sole member of Drowstorm and Burden of Ymir. Both projects released albums in 2023, impressing all who wrote about them. In my case, Heorot was a fantastic introduction to the latter band, a blackened-yet-folky display of Viking metal that appealed to both my appreciation for mythologically-themed metal and my long–held belief that the accordion is the most metal of all the instruments. Now, just over two years later, Burden of Ymir return with its sixth full-length release (in as many years!): The Long Winter, with an album cover that promises just as much blackened goodness as we’ve come to hope for. At this point in the year, I’d love a long winter, but I’ll settle for some frosty metal if that’s what’s being offered!

At first glance, The Long Winter is exactly what you expect from Caswell and Burden of Ymir; the Norse influence is tangible, the black metal is blisteringly fast, and the accordion is present. And yet, The Long Winter is a darker, heavier record than its predecessor. Caswell does not hold back in the riffs department, and it’s a testament to his songwriting that The Long Winter feels heavy for the full forty-five minutes without sounding forced. Compared to Heorot, The Long Winter sees Burden of Ymir treading slightly less folk-y waters, focusing more on its black metal influences and allowing the concept to do some more of the lifting on the folk side. Songs like “Like Blood in the Snow” are angry, pulling no punches and letting riffs and blast beats shine. It’s recognizably Burden of Ymir, but sees a definitive step in a new—but still familiar—direction.

Still, folky fusion and blackened metal are two things Burden of Ymir do extremely well, and having the metal heavier only enhances the union. Opener “As Witches Under Cloak of Night” is a multifaceted gem with hooks, moody, tense interludes, and a galloping chorus that’ll have you setting sail before you know it. “Strange Craft” builds around an accordion lead in its intro into an unsettling, melodic journey through dark magic and black forests before exploding into black metal fury. “Another Seed of Yggdrasil” breaks out the clean singing for a mystical chorus that counterbalances Caswell’s rasps—as up to the task as ever, but at their most effective working alongside these more melodic elements. All this is to say that Caswell’s ability to blend black metal and Viking themes is as strong as ever, and The Long Winter is more enjoyable for it.

I’ve mentioned that The Long Winter dials back a bit on the “Viking” quality that was so apparent in Heorot, resulting in a listen that ultimately leans blacker and heavier than folky. The aforementioned accordion makes a few, brief appearances, and Caswell’s clean singing is much diminished. More notably, the hooky writing from Heorot is curiously absent; more songs are carried by riffs than leads, resulting in an overall less melodic listen. This makes tracks like “Strange Craft” and “As Witches Under Cloak of Night” stand out—they’re generally more energetic than the rest of the album, particularly the closing third. While it’s certainly all strong, it feels like the blend doesn’t quite mesh the way it should. There are a bunch of songs I love here, several that I like, and a few that feel like they’re there to beef up The Long Winter more so than entertain. They are entertaining—I can’t stress that enough—but I would hazard a guess that Burden of Ymir has a slightly different vision for The Long Winter than what I’ve personally experienced.

Still, Caswell is a great songwriter, strong guitarist, and knows his mythologies, meaning The Long Winter is a fun listen that continues his hot streak over several one-man projects, styles, and album releases. If black metal is your thing, there’s something for you here. If Viking folk is your thing, there’s something for you here. I won’t say it all comes together perfectly, but it doesn’t really have to. It just has to be enjoyable to listen to for most of an hour, and it is. If you like any of the above styles, I would happily recommend you take a break from the awful weather we’re having (read: warm) and enjoy a long winter instead.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Flowing Downward
Websites: burdenofymir.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/BurdenOfYmir
Releases Worldwide: July 4th, 2025

#2025 #30 #BlackMetal #BurdenOfYmir #CanadianMetal #Drowstorm #FlowingDownward #FolkMetal #Jul25 #Review #Reviews #TheLongWinter #VikingMetal

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

By Twelve

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.

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”

#2023 #BlackMetal #BurdenOfYmir #CanadianMetal #Drowstorm #FlowingDownward #FolkMetal #Review #Reviews #SwampFiend #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2023