Once upon a time in the early to mid-90s, black metal bands crafted these ornate and sprawling paeans to the majesty of wintertime, when the world was held in the grip of death and the land knew the sweet melancholy of prolonged darkness. It is to this bygone era that Finland’s latest one-man black metal band hearkens.
While clearly indebted to bands such as (early) Emperor (there’s even a cover of “Ancient Queen”), Limbonic Art, Odium, and the like, Vargrav’s debut full length, aptly titled Netherstorm, is a silvery and splendorous beast all its own. Without giving too much away about what is bound to be one of the most talked about black metal debuts of 2018, Vargrav will defy your expectations about symphonic black metal with a record that’s as ferocious as it is enchanting. Don’t believe us? Then check out this exclusive stream of “Limb of Abysmal Void.”
Quote Vargrav: “As my visions are not for man to intimate . . . I call upon the everlasting gloom . . . For it has been here forever and forever it shall stay.”
Get Netherstorm January 26th.
