He's back!! It should come as no surprise that the busiest man in the underground black metal scene has returned with a new release not long after two solid albums in 2014. Despicable Broken Hope is his latest platter of tortured wailing for Moribund Records, five untitled tracks that are as unsettling as they are majestic. Let's be honest, the music of Vardan is not going to be for everyone. Vocally, the man sounds like he'd either chained up in a dark, dank dungeon howling for release, or nailed to a cross and screaming semi-conscious gibberish to the heavens asking for salvation. You can almost feel the pain, as his performance is sure to make anyone writhe uncomfortably in their seat, the anguish & torture bleeds through every growl, scream, rasp, and bellow on the very first track. Nightmarish stuff. Musically, this is atmospheric, textured arrangements, rarely veering off into full-bore, relentless & maniacal black metal, as the riffs have plenty of color and tones, the drum work only occasionally moving into violent blasting. The third track here actually has some gorgeous passages to go along with Vardan's demonic warbling. On the epic fourth track, the atmosphere really takes over, as bits of prog rock and doom permeate the arrangement for some of the albums most compelling moments. "V" brings some of Despicable Broken Hope's most savage elements, drawing this one man black metal show to a close.
Due to the nature of what's on display here, surely Vardan intends to, and will continue, to toil in the black metal underground. That's ok, as I'm sure there are plenty of genre fans who will lap this right up. Another solid effort from this tortured soul.
Track Listing
1) I
2) II
3) III
4) IV
5) V
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