Varg - Blutaar
Full-length, Noise Art Records, January 29th, 2010
More and more Pagan metal bands seem to be flooding the market these days. Most of them are hard to distinguish from each other, due to the lack of interesting ideas, song structures, etc. But like all scenes, there are always a few that rise to the top. Mainly because they stand out from the pack, for whatever reason. Here we have the band Varg, definitely a Pagan metal band, but these fellows manage to bring something unique to the table. A band does not always have to be completely original to stand out, many bands who do something tried and true, but do it exceptionally well, manage to find interest among certain groups. The music found on this release is very melodic, sometimes mid-paced, sometimes blasting at full speed. Harsh black metal vocals, heavy guitars and semi-complex drumming make up a good bulk of the release. Some of the guitar riffs are reminiscent of Gothenberg death metal, not necessarily in the typical way, but more in the fact of being very melodic. There are a few acoustic breaks scattered among the album to break up the straightforward metallic monotony. All the instruments play off of each other very well, creating a very solid vehicle of heavy music.
I would say Varg straddle the line of black and death metal. They combine the heaviness of death metal (not chugging riffs either) and the melodic sensibility of black metal to create a lethal hybrid that is both scathing and pummeling. Unlike most Pagan metal bands, Varg do not really implement a lot of typical folk-ish music into their metallic brew. There are odds and ends of acoustic breaks, but not enough to categorize them as folk metal. They actually become nice counterpoints to the heavier parts of the songs. Another thing that is interesting is the use of mostly black metal-ish vocals put along aside a few gruff death metal style of vocals, both styles are done well and compliment each other well. My overall impression is very good from this effort, its heavy, melodic and well-written. Fans of bands like Dissection and Sacramentum will drool all over this album.
Reviewed by E. - 7.5/10
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