Band:	Hiems
Album:	Worship Or Die
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	July 2009

01. Worship Or Die
02. I
03. Scum Destroyer
04. W.O.F.
05. Adventum
06. Bringer Of Light
07. Wounds Just Death Can Heal
08. Hiems
09. 2909979
10. Race With The Devil [Gun cover]

Damn, I'm glad I don't run Moribund Records. Nathan Birk, the man behind the label, must single-handedly deal with the largest group of misanthropes and life-haters out there. Dødsferd 'fuck your creation', Bleeding Fist 'fuck your beginning', Craft 'fuck the universe', Avsky 'fuck your values, fuck your believes, fuck your god!'... That's not exactly the Brady Bunch now, is it. One of the newest members of the joyous family is Hiems, the side-project of Algol, employed by Forgotten Tomb as bass player. Forgotten Tomb who, by the way, is not a member of the Brady Bunch either.

Hiems already stirred the underground up a bit with debut Cold Void Journey, although it eludes me to this day, and now there's a second album out entitled Worship Or Die. Not surprisingly, Hiems takes a lot of influence from said abandoned crypt. They share the mechanical yet streamlined, dark sound that flows on into infinity, but never forgets to erase a few souls on the way. It are the clever arrangements, subtle touches, catchy grooves and evolving riffs make this album worthwhile. And it has to be said, there are some really cool basslines on this album. And you won't believe what you're hearing when you are suddenly ditched in The Doors' seventies rock on the last two tracks. Say what?

Hiems stands apart from the other bands because the message is, although in itself pretty stale, conveyed with a healthy dose of song writing skill and a well-matched production and mastering job. What I hope is that Hiems chooses to develop further and further, perhaps following a path similar to Shining, and I see a pretty bright future in store for the Italian doommonger. Who knows?