“Varg is Wolf metal! Varg is a cult! Wolfscult!” With these chilling words you are inducted into Varg’s twisted world where pagan, folk, death and black metal collide in a frost-bitten explosion of cold fire and eclectic influences. Utterly unfazed by the music industry’s seeming inability to deal with any band that doesn’t fit neatly into a genre box, Varg have sensibly aligned themselves with the well-respected Noiseart Records who specialize in exactly this kind of unholy racket and who recognize the importance of integrity over easy labeling.
Formed in 2005, Varg have released three full-length albums to date – 2007’s ‘Wolfszeit’, 2010’s ‘Blutaar’ and last year’s ‘Wolfscult’, as well as a handful of Eps and split releases. Over that time Varg have had plenty of opportunity to hone their sound into a keen-edged sonic weapon and on this, their fourth album, the band are not taking any prisoners. Indeed, so confident are the band of the success of their latest opus that they have created the unprecedented ‘Varg Guarantee’ by which any fan who buys the album and does not enjoy it, can take said album to a Varg show and trade it in for a T Shirt of their choice. Our advice is to save your money as you’re liable to end up buying the album, keeping it, and then buying a shirt as well.
Opening the album with the amusing ‘Willkommen’ (the sound of someone walking through the snow to a venue) the album proper kicks off with the storming title track, a brutal melee of guitar harmonics and thunderous riffs all of which lead to the sort of mead-powered sing-a-long that Korpiklaani do so well. It’s a great start to the album and one that instantly makes you want to grab your tankard of ale, throw your feet upon the table and sit back as the fire burns in the hearth. It’s stirring, dramatic music that combines the searing power of metal with the lung-bursting power of folk and even throws in hints of Rammstein when the band think no-one’s looking. ‘Frei wie der Wind’ is a similarly aggressive take on the folk sound, the sing-a-long element still very much in evidence even whilst the drums threaten to shake the foundations of your very house into rubble. It’s by no means unique, but where Varg succeed is in the verve and panache of their delivery, each song bursting from the speakers upon a wave of euphoria instantly drawing you into the heart of the band’s sound. ‘Was nicht darf’ is much more sinister, once again drawing upon those Rammstein comparisons, with a thunderous guitar riff backing gruffly delivered vocals that sound uncannily like Till Lindemann, and whilst it’s by no means a bad song, it is arguably one of the weakest here so similar does it sound to Varg’s industrial countrymen. ‘Blut und Feuer’ is much more like it, the surging riff heading back in a more folk-metal direction that pillages and burns as it rampages unchecked through the German countryside.
Once again harking to the days of blood and thunder, ‘Angriff’ has a storming folk motif offset by riffs that are straight out of the industrial revolution, the melody evoking a bygone age even as the riffs recall the sparks of steel against steel. Similarly ‘Horizont’ plunders the band’s heavy metal heart for one of the heaviest tracks on the album, all flesh-rending riffs and guttural vocals tied together with a sense of melody that keeps things memorable as well as brutal. ‘A thousand eyes’ is a highlight with its rampant double-bass pedal assault, unconventional vocal approach and acid-edged riffs, all of which add to the surprise when the band break out acoustic guitars at its heart, yet it makes sense when you hear it. ‘Wieder mal verloren’ sounds, bizarrely, like the Levellers filtered through Machine Head, whilst ‘Gedanke und Erinnerung’ offers up a similar listening experience, the folk melodies neatly inserted into the mass of earth-shaking percussion and growling guitars. ‘Leben’ sees the pace change for a punk-infused blackened assault that ditches the more ethereal melodies for a cast-iron wall of sound that tears through the more earthen concerns of the previous few tracks and then ‘anti’ performs a similar trick implying that the band wish to end proceedings on a strident note. ‘Apokalypse’ is a fine closing track, all dark riffing and metronomic percussion with a thrash edge and only the hidden bonus track remains with its echoing noise leading into a blackened assault that proves to be a particularly chilling finish.
Over the course of thirteen tracks Varg cover a good deal of ground. The Rammstein-aping ‘Was nicht darf’ notwithstanding, the majority of the music here is well-honed and intelligently composed. The folk elements are powerful, but not over-powering, and there is enough to variety to keep this from being just another folk-metal album. Varg’s real strength comes in their diversity of influences and when you ally this multi-faceted musical vision with a powerful production job that renders the whole in blistering clarity then you have a metal album that feels, for the most part, both fresh and heavy. Overall there is enough variety, not to mention blood and thunder metal, here to keep fans of the band interested and it’s certain that the live shows will be an absolute blast. Well worth picking up in its digi-pack form, as the special edition comes with a lengthy DVD featuring live tracks, fans of Varg will be in no way disappointed by this latest effort, whilst newcomers will find plenty to admire.
Check out the trailer for the release here:
And the full video here:
