ALBUM REVIEW: Vargrav – Reign In Supreme Darkness

Here I review the second album from Finnish Black Metal heavyweights VARGRAV! Out on April 26th via Werewolf Records.

1. Intro – Et In Profundis Mysteriis starts us off with eerie ambience and chimes, setting a haunting mood for the assault ahead. The epic synths take a quite glorious turn with cinematic soundscapes being utilised excellently.
2. The Glory of Eternal Night fires in with blasting drums and gorgeous blistering guitar riffs, epic and penetrating with a huge soundscape of ferocity but also tranquility. Vocal snarls add to the bombastically bombarding instrumentals with a gorgeously symphonic undertone to the melodic Black Metal. A mix of bands like Dimmu Borgir, Immortal and Anorexia Nervosa are present but also some folky tinges that add to the epic glory of the band. The songwriting and production are both fantastic, allowing for a first impression filled with impact and clarity. The juxtaposition of clean vocals and synths with dissonant guitars is absolutely killer. An utterly brilliant opening piece.
3. Dark Space Dominion continues in the melodic and over-the-top style of the previous track with more assaults from the guitars and drums, glacial synths and morbid vocals that create a tight and punchy aggressive Black Metal sound but with a really unique symphony of glory to back it up. The soundscape itself is huge with a monolithic atmosphere that is so strong and does not falter at any given point in the song, or indeed, the album. This song has some damn piercing riffs that remind me of 90s style immediately but with plenty of added modern progressions. Another fantastic piece of music.
4. In Streams From Great Mysteries falls into place with ferocity and melody once more hitting hard, emotive guitar riffs and clean cut synths over insane drum beats with drawn out snarls creates a melancholic but also battle-ready style, conjuring up imagery of ancient warfare with a crystalline mixture of intense musical influence. While ambient, the contradiction of the extremity with it is really exciting and memorable, showing truly masterful songwriting skills and ambition that demands respect. The slower tempo sections are sombre yet the guitar riffs pack such a fantastic punch that I truly am left speechless by this song. Total brilliance.
5. As the Shadows Grow Silent comes in with more dismal and gruelling guitars than anything up until now with a sombre aggression that is menacing and foreboding. This quickly ascends into more Emperor style melodics with a dissonant yet still pristine soundscape of ambient riffing and synths. There is a convulsive disdain among the ferocious tremolo picking riffs that descends into beautifully ambient cleaner sections to rebuild the hateful monolith of war-mongering glorious Black Metal assaults that fire into total frenzy. The berserker rage is present in this wonderful track.
6. Crowned By Demonstorms transcends into far more upbeat drumming, gorgeous synths and hard-hitting riffs with a more cheerful sound before bleak and doomy sections take over with a gothic melody. There is such a sombre mood that contrasts the blistering glory of itself in a uniquely fantastic manner giving us a haunting and eerie piece filled with cathartically emotive songwriting that is just mind-blowing. The sheer diversity within the music while keeping to the bands formula is evident of putting tons of time and thought into the creation of this album, which much like the first is filled with intensely well crafted music. There are also some killer thrashy builds in this song to add to the aggression permeating from the masterful piece. Great work.
7. Godless Pandemonium starts off with gorgeous clean guitars the suddenly drop into more massive assaults, blasting drums, ferocious guitars and eerie synths. The chilling nature of the music grows in strength rapidly with subtle grooves, especially in the vocal patterns that add a nice headbanger friendly nature to the otherwise very ambient and relaxing music. I think the level of nuance among this music is among some of the most impressive in Black Metal with almost no fine detail being left behind, giving an expansive experience for the keen-eared and repeat listeners to truly take more from the release, making sure it stays on the turntable, deck or CD player (or playlists for the digital community). This track also has some of the coldest and best riffing I have ever heard from Vargrav! Another excellent song.
8. Arcane Stargazer brings in the ending of the album. Setting off on this final journey with grooving riffs and drums, pounding us with fury while the melodic melancholies of the synths and drawn out vocals tinge the piece with a sadness while retaining the epic glory of the soundscape. This piece grows, dissipates and lurches forth with such impressive energies and more fantastic musicianship and songwriting that is captivating in every possible sense. The cleaner sections are heartbreaking while the more high-octane parts make you want to suit up in armour and battle. This final song has it all, a well-rounded piece the bows it with grace doing the album a total honour as a closing piece and also giving a good summary of what the band can do when contained within itself. Truly amazing.

Ferocious, ambient and totally gorgeous. This album has a fine mixture of Black Metal and Dungeon Synth work that should appeal to fans of the genre from its inception to the present day with its masterful songwriting and clear-cut production. The artwork is perfectly representative of the music that really conjures up imagery in that vein. An essential listen for Black Metal fans. -9/10