Varg Blutaar
by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer
Hailing from the once Viking-rich fjords of, ummm, Berlin, comes yet another folk-inspired pagan metal band, Varg. Though their locale may not seem the most appropriate for their lyrical content and overall concept, after listening to their newest release, Blutaar, it becomes clear that great pagan metal can come from anywhere, as long as the band puts as much emphasis on quality music as they do fancy logos and body paint.
Taking obvious influence from such Viking luminaries as Mithotyn and Thyrfing, Varg’s music is a mix of “traditional” folk melodies and hard-hitting power metal. Unlike many of their genre contemporaries, Varg stray away from clean and chant vocals, instead opting to keep things rough, with standard black metal shrieks and occasional death metal grunts as the sole deliverers of their historically-inspired lyrics. This works well for the band, and keeps them from sounding too “happy,” a common criticism of like-minded groups.
Another trend the band isn’t swathed in is the use of traditional instruments. Many bands of their ilk, from Korpiklaani to Eluvietie, seem keen on bringing in a multitude of instruments uncommon to metal—from fiddles to lutes—and generally this is a very cool practice. Sometimes though, it’s nice to let the standard mix of guitars, bass, and drums do all of the work; keeping the metal pure, in a sense. Varg have certainly shown that pagan melodies can flourish without all of the, well, flourishes.
If any criticism could be given to Blutaar, it would be that many of the songs sound a bit too similar to one another. The band relies heavily on the ¾ time “gallop” that has become virtually synonymous with the genre, and though they do sprinkle in the odd blast beat or hyperspeed double-bass run, the tempos show little variance, ultimately leaving the songs somewhat indistinguishable. That said, the writing is top quality, and perhaps by venturing too far from the “pagan sound” the overall vibe of the record would have been lost.
Though Varg do nothing entirely new, it is great to see bands carrying on the tradition created by aforementioned groups like the now-dissolved Mithoyn and mighty Thyrfing (who continue to churn out excellent albums, albeit in a less folky manner). Perhaps one day Varg too will migrate in a different metal direction, leaving the door open for more new bands to try and fill the gap (possibly from an even less likely spot—Hawaiian Vikings? Sure, why not?) But until then, it’s comforting to know that someone is carrying the sword.
Label: Noise Art Records
Web: www.varg.de ; www.myspace.com/varghorde
Band Lineup:
Freki (vocals, guitar)
Managarm (bass)
Hati (guitars)
Fenrier (drums)
Skalli (live guitar)
Tracks:
1. Wolfsmond
2. Viel Feind Viel Ehr
3. Invictus
4. Sieg oder Niedergang
5. Blutaar
6. Seele
7. Nebelleben
8. Zeichen der Zeit
9. Delirium
10. Alter Feind
11. Blutdienst II (Des Adlers Blutge Schwingen)
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.7/10