• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

This is the third full-length from Vargrav, a Finnish band who are dedicated to recreating that classic sound of the Symphonic Black Metal bands of the '90s like Emperor or Limbonic Art. It's well done, but not anything beyond what you'd expect from that description. The Black Metal elements are pretty standard, backed up by the keys intended to create that cold, horror-movie atmosphere. This kind of thing is really created in the studio, as the mixing of the sounds is what makes it work, and the recording here is very pro. The drawbacks of this band are that the actual metal elements are so rote, and so there is nothing about the songwriting that really stands out. The whole sound mixed and mastered sounds good, but there's not much substance to it beneath the surface.