GROMS ("God Rules Over My Soul") formed in Kristiansand, Norway in 1992. This groovy death metal band toured in Poland in 1993. On December 21st, 1994, their one and only album 'Ascension' was released on the Arctic Serenades label.  There were reports of a second album, tentatively entitled 'I Beseech Thee', but nothing more came out of it. As guitarist Hans Dalen left the band, they split up. Torodd Fuglesteg, the man behind Arctic Serenades, is a very anti-religious person and the relationship between label and band resulted in severed ties. Their album was re-released by Pleitegeier Records in 1996.

ASCENSION (1994, 1996) PLEITGEITER

It's good to find albums that you initially thought you'd never find. Although released in 3 different versions, this album is long out of print. But I managed to get one in a trade. GROMS hail from my homeland of Norway, but unlike most known Norwegian bands, they do not play black metal. They play a groovy form of death metal, and they do it well. The music is skillfully written, and the message is uplifting. Imagine a mix between Schaliach and Believer!! But there is a downside to the album also. I just don't sit back with any feelings after listening through it. The music is good, but easily forgotten. It's not boring, but not breathtaking either. The most interesting track is the bonus-track, originally recorded on a demo they released before this album. If you like death metal, Groms will please you. So good luck finding a copy!

Killer tracks: From Dust To Dust, The Just Shall Live By Faith

Rock trivia: The pronunciation of the word GROMS in Norwegian, translates into English as mud, ooze or sediment. I'm not sure if this was used intentionally by the band though.