UMUR "Hrimthursum" is the 5th full-length studio album by Swedish melodic black/death metal act Necrophobic. The album was released through Regain Records in May 2006. The lineup who recorded "Bloodhymns (2002)" is intact. Despite this being the only 5th full-length album release by Necrophobic since their formation in the early nineties, they´ve been one of the most consistent black/death metal acts on the scene in terms of the quality of their output. They are a shining example of quality over quantity.

The music on "Hrimthursum" is unmistakably the sound of Necrophobic. A furious yet melodic black/death metal attack, with snarling aggressive vocals, fast-paced drumming and riffing, melodic leads and the usual blashemous lyric approach. The latter is pretty obvious from the get go with the intro track "The Slaughter of Baby Jesus". While much of the album are played in a fierce pace, Necrophobic are no one trick pony. They are very successful in effectively incorporating both mid-paced heavy riff sections and more dark atmospheric parts to their music too (often created by the use of keyboards). In terms of standing out in Necrophobic´s discography, "Hrimthursum" sounds a bit different than it´s predecessors. Mainly because Tobias Sidegård has opted for a more raw and shouting vocal style compared to the more intense and aggressive raspy style that he has used on earlier releases, but also because of the sound production, which is a bit more crisp and clear sounding albeit still delightfully raw.

It´s impossible not to by blown away by tracks like "Blinded by Light, Enlightened by Darkness" (this one is positively killer) and "I Strike With Wrath" but all 12 tracks on the 59:09 minutes long album are quality material. It can be argued that the album is slightly too long and that the tracks sometimes sound slightly formulaic, but taken one by one, these are quality tracks played by skilled musicians and packed in a powerful and raw sound production. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.