The busiest man in black metal returns just a few months after the release of Despicable Broken Hope with another platter of mayhem in the form of Between the Fog and Shadows. Now, I know there is an audience for Vardan's brand of one-man underground black metal, but with the rate that he is pumping out product, after a while the distinction between any of them starts to get a little blurred. Don't get me wrong, there's some decent stuff among these three lengthy tunes, but the man just isn't varying up his attack enough to distinguish this new one from any of his numerous releases from the past few years. The title track features his haunting, tortured moaning over textured riffing, pounding drums, and spooky keys, while the 15+minute "Solitary Death of a Forest Spirit" starts off bleak before crashing drums and a mix of doom/black metal riffs grab you by the throat, with Vardan's raspy growls echoing in the distance. Don't expect to understand any of it, as the vocals are either so garbled or so far low in the mix that he becomes just an unintelligible specter floating over the cold, grim musical setting. The near 19-minute closer "Of Death Dreams Through Funeral Ey" packs a bit more atmosphere thanks to some mid-tempo arrangements and plenty of guitar textures, but with its bloated length and monotonous vocals, it ultimately doesn't differ all that much from its predecessors.
If it sounds like I'm crapping all over Between the Fog and Shadows, I'm really not. Fans of this type of desolate, eerie underground black metal will surely find plenty to sink their fangs into here, from the raw, primal production values to the chilling vibe, it's certainly a solid entry for the genre. If only Vardan would spend a little more time on creating these releases and maybe stick to one per year, we might get a little higher quality and really feel the anticipation of a new album, rather than 'oh, he's back yet again' which is kind of how it is now.
Track Listing
1) Between the Fog and Shadows
2) Solitary Death of a Forest Spirit
3) Of Death Dreams Through Funeral Ey
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
