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Released in September 2006, Veins is the first full-length album from Hypothermia. Hailing from Sweden, this band is another of the countless entities that claim to make 'Depressive Black Metal', a sub-genre that mostly consists of pointless trash and posturing. Like many things in this empty modern age, it seems to be more about image than substance.
The first thing that one may notice is the extremely pitiful and preposterous vocal performance by Kim Carlsson. From the beginning of the first track, it appeared that he would be more restrained and at least hold some of his effeminate screams in, but he unleashes many pointless and farcical little squeals, later on. It is as if most fans of early Burzum that go on to make their own music were half-deaf and just heard shrill screaming from Count Grishnackh, whereas his voice actually possessed a raw and primal feeling, a true sincerity that is lacking in almost everyone that attempts this style. Even Landfermann's over-the-top vocals, on Bethlehem's Dictius Te Necare, had some sort of feeling. However, Hypothermia is content just existing as some sort of parody. Carlsson's voice sounds like a nine-year old girl that is afraid of a spider.
Beyond roaring in laughter at the horrible vocals, there is not much to keep one's attention. The music is immensely boring and accomplishes nothing. The melodies are lifeless and convey no sort of feeling, whatsoever. The songs don't build toward anything, nor do they take the listener on a journey. It's all just background noise, and quite poor at that. After a slew of demos, somehow, these guys thought that this material was worthy of recording for their debut full-length, their first real impression upon the music world. Yet what they have offered is more audio rubbish that is just as tedious and uninteresting as before. The only value that this monotonous filth could have would be to put people to sleep, that is, if the vocalist would stop crying over the end of his three-week relationship from ninth grade.
Hypothermia is a complete waste of time, more of a joke band than anything else. How this project has any followers is beyond me, as it is wholly without merit. People like this probably got attracted to the general aesthetic of Black Metal and thought it was a nice little club to join, since they felt misunderstood and lonely, deciding to imitate it for one reason or another. The title of track two says it all, this is definitely a "failure". There is absolutely NOTHING dark or depressing about this horrid little album. Avoid this and listen to early Burzum, Strid and Mütiilation, instead.
