Vargrav - Reign in Supreme Darkness (2019)

Bringing back memories of the simpler days of Melodic Black Metal, when bands like Limbonic Art, Emperor, ...and Oceans added keyboards and orchestrations to the genre, today we have Vargrav and its sophomore release “Reign in Supreme Darkness”. Delivering over 40 minutes of lush arrangements, solid BM core elements and crafty songwriting, this one man unit unleashes a timeless sounding release that should not be overlooked.

After the traditional intro, Vargrav goes full steam with the lush “The Glory of Eternal Night”, a brilliant old-school sounding track that reminds us of Emperor’s classic “I am the Black Wizards”. The pacing and intricate tempo changes make this song quite enjoyable and a very strong opener. As “Dark Space Dominion” and “In Streams from Great Mysteries” roll in, we find ourselves impulsively headbanging thanks to their ravaging and yet playful nature. Both tracks are filled with majestic atmospheric arrangements, perfectly offset by catchy riffs.

V-Khaoz songwriting skills are quite refined and very creative, tracks like “As the Shadows Grow Silent” deliver a wide variety of elements perfectly layered to create very dramatic compositions. We particularly enjoy that songs like “Crowned by Demonstrations” can easily be as seductively captivating if you remove the synths. This speaks for a very strong and refined musica core that goes beyond the ‘pretty’ dressing over the band’s music.

Closing with the Dissection-esque “Godless Pandemonium” and the cavernous “Arcane Stargazer”, we are left quite satisfied with this very engaging and expertly crafted release. After taking the scene by surprise with their debut release, “Netherstorm”, Vargrav shows it was no fluke as the band manages to show improvement over an already quite impressive release. If you like grandiose Melodic Black Metal from the early days, you will certainly love this album.

Label: Werewolf Records

Release:April 26th, 2019

Genre: Melodic/Symphonic Black Metal

Country: Finland