By Alex Montgomery
Traditional styled black metal is a scene I very much have a love it or hate it relationship with. When it’s done well it’s some of the finest extreme metal out there blending atmosphere and aggression perfectly and giving you an excellent soundtrack to cosplay Gandalf in the forest to. The other side of this is “if I hear one more asshole or group of assholes in panda makeup try to recreate Transilvanian Hunger or Panzer Division Marduk I’ll stick a screwdriver in my ears”. Fortunately, Vaamatar have given me reason to spare my ears for another day.
Vaamatar are a duo from the United States whose particular sound I’d say is best described as Norwegian second wave Black Metal with a strong melodic sensibility that strongly reminds me of the Finnish scene or the German band Moonblood that also incorporates thrashy elements in a very similar way to countrymen Absu. Nothing in here is unique or groundbreaking but the way they’ve combined elements and executed them makes for a satisfying overall package that uses the best of it’s influence to craft an enjoyable 40 minutes that very rarely drags.
The songwriting ability exhibited here is very strong and Vaamatar clearly know how to keep things interesting even for longer songs (the average length here is about six or seven minutes with the longest being eight – normally that puts the fear in me but they know how to make use of that time wisely). I can’t recall thinking of any moments where a section go on too long or sounds out of place in the context of the greater piece which is something hard to balance when trying to create varied riffing within the sonic confines you’ve set for yourself. Extended tremelo picked melodies will give way to driving thrashy/punk beats and back with a palpaple sense of both melancholy and triumphant defiance woven throughout, reinforcing the themes expressed by their imagery well, sort of like what Destroyer 666 or Absurd does, but without the racism (there aren’t lyrics available for this but I’m sure they fit too).
In terms of standout performances Wicked Procreator (fucking lol) clearly knows his way around a fretboard and handles both six strings and four strings for this album. Well-constructed black metal riffs that are aggressive but also hooky are the foundation of a memorable and worthwhile album in this style and while sometimes riffs can sound similar they are never boring. Kathaarian (Kathy to her friends) backs these riffs up with a solid rhythmic foundation that while mostly comprised of stock Norsecore 101 beats are done with enough energy and vigor in the performance aided by the powerful dynamic sounding production that you don’t really mind, and it gives a really driving energy for Mr Procreator’s guitars to charge along to.
In terms of production, everything sound excellent and exactly how it needs to. The guitars are clear and powerful with an emphasis placed towards the treble end and a rawer sounding distortion but without hitting tinfoil wrapped wasp’s nest levels a la Darkthrone, while the bass isn’t particularly stand out (I’d put it a couple Dbs higher in the mix myself, but I’m biased) it’s still got a dirty punchy tone that follow the guitars and kick drums lockstep for the entire album and aids in maintaining the aforementioned driving energy that permeates this LP.
‘Medievalgeist’, despite its dumb title and the band’s goofy Metal Archives picture has proven to be a pleasant suprise indeed. If you’re looking for a really solid second wave sounding black metal album that doesn’t clone any one particular band or style but, instead, does its own thing while still sounding familar you really could do a LOT worse. Plus, the cover art is neat and you could hang it up on your wall and be the first black metal fan to know what boobs actually look like.
- ‘Medievalgeist’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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