(written by Islander)
This is a song premiere that requires historical context because it is a musical celebration and memorial by the bandmates and family of a man taken from the world too soon.
The history begins in 1995 in Finland when Agathon started the black metal band Gloomy Grim as his solo project. In time he gathered other musicians around him, and over the following decades Gloomy Grim released seven albums, assorted shorter works, and several compilation records.
Over that time Agathon (aka Ykä) also became a key figure in other groups, including Airdash, Soulgrind, Thy Serpent, and Corporal Punishment, and he also performed on recordings by Barathrum and Walhalla, among other bands.
Agathon passed away from cancer in 2022. A memorial concert has now been organized, and it will be held at the Hellsinki Metal Festival’s See You In Hell club Bar Loose on August 6, 2026.
But in addition to that, a group of labels will release an album called Gloomy & Grim: A Tribute To Agathon on June 6th — a date that would have been Agathon’s 58th birthday and is the 30th anniversary of the release of Gloomy Grim’s first demo.
The final song on that album is a re-recording of Gloomy Grim’s “Born In Fire“, and that’s the track we’re premiering today.
This re-recording — “Born In Fire 2026” — includes Agaathon’s original keyboard parts, with Gloomy Grim’s last drummer Agitator handling the vocals. Other former members of the band fill out the other roles, and many close friends of Agathon and Gloomy Grim joined in to perform background vocals.
Agathon’s eerily dancing keys open the new song in a way that creates an aura of infernal mania. A deep bass begins to hum; a big kick drum begins to thump; and gritty, demon-spawned vocals arrive along with soaring synths and vicious but gleaming riffage that swirls and shivers.
It’s a gloriously sinister and otherworldly experience, but you can feel the bass like a primal presence in your bones, and the drumming will kick up your pulse too. The riffing snarls, slashes, and swarms, and the lead vocals remain bestial, while the backing vocals sound fanatically crazed as they chant. Fittingly, Agathon’s devilishly gothic keyboards usher the song to its close.
THE PERFORMERS:
Agitator – vocals
Micko Hell – guitars
Lord Heikkinen – guitars
Nuklear Tormentörr – bass
Suntio – drums
Agathon – keyboards, programming
The Chi-Omega Go-Go Girls – backing vocals
FULL ALBUM TRACK LIST:
01. Azhemin – Intro: To The Death!
02. Unnamed Grave – The Hermit
03. IGIGI – Lucifer’s Hammer
04. Astral Corpse – Åkerspöke
05. Barathrum – War
06. Wotem MF – Bloody Grim
07. Flesh – Why Are They Screaming At Night?
08. Walhalla – Chainsaw Blast
09. Soulgrind – Children Of The Underworld
10. St. Petrov – Red Giant
11. Gloomy Grim – Born In Fire 2026
Gloomy & Grim: A Tribute To Agathon was produced by Micko Hell and was recorded between 2022-2026. It was mastered by Atoni, and includes artwork and layout by Lord Heikkinen. More information about the bands who participated in the album and the songs they covered can be found here.
The album will be jointly released on CD, with a 12-page booklet, by Hellhouse Records 666, Satanath Records, Black Plague Records, and Pagan Fury Records. Find more info via the links below, and then also listen to a cover recording of “The Hermit” by Unnamed Grave, a band that includes former members and fans of Gloomy Grim.
ORDER:
https://satanath.bandcamp.com/album/sat418-various-artists-gloomy-grim-a-tribute-to-agathon-compilation-2026
HellHouse Records 666 (mickohell@hotmail.com)
https://blackplaguestore.com/
https://www.barbaricfury.shop/
GLOOMY GRIM:
https://gloomygrim.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AgathonTheBeast
https://www.instagram.com/agathon_the_beast/