Review by Yener on May 9, 2019.

For some people, Antichrist Imperium’s first album may have very well gone unnoticed. I never quite understood this, as the band consists of very respectable musicians. We have members from Akercocke, Mithras, The Berzerker and My Dying Bride. Their first album (simply entitled The Antichrist Imperium) was a whirlwind of masterful musicianship and songwriting. And there’s something about this band that just has this vibe of evil that I absolutely adore and is unfortunately missing in a lot of today’s metal. 

That’s not the case with The Antichrist Imperium. They bring a feel and vibe which I think is sorely missed these days. That sense of darkness, despair, and foreboding evil. It lurks in every corner, it’s there in every shadow. It’s always there, and it’s one of the main things that drives me to these guys. So, I was quite excited to hear what their second offering would sound like.

Thankfully, it’s not a drastic change from their first, which quite honestly is pretty perfect and doesn’t need to be tweaked much. You see, this is a seasoned band. Despite this being their second album, the band members themselves have been around for a long, long time, and each are absolute professionals, and that really shines through on this album. The level of songwriting and musicianship is through the roof. Each section of each song is thought out with the most meticulous care and dare I say, love. They are crafted expertly, everything from the extremely fast sections, to the clean sections, to the keyboards - everything. Everything is done with the utmost care and love of the craft. 

With a name like The Antichrist Imperium, these guys have basically forsaken all forms of commercial success since their inception. They are here for the art, and it shows so clearly throughout this entire experience.

“The Dreadful Hosanna” Is the first thing you’ll hear, and if you’re familiar with their previous album, you’ll feel right at home. It has everything you loved about Akercocke - tasteful guitar lines, their sense of groove and just the way the song flows so easily, and the expert vocals of Samuel Loynes. Additional vocals and bass are provided by Sam Bean, who also does - surprise surprise - a fantastic job on both fronts. A prime example would be a particular passage in “Draw Down the Moon” which sounds spectacularly evil, and not from this world. 

Matt Wilcock puts in quite an astonishing performance. The thing that makes the guitar playing on this album so great is that Matt knows exactly where to cut through, and where to back down, to support the current ongoing passage and rest of the band. Because this album is quite busy in the instrumentation, it’s especially important the instruments play off of each other well and support the ongoing passages in the best way possible.

Another thing that makes this album great is the mixing and mastering. Each instrument can be heard with proper definition and clarity, which on an album like this, is especially important. Sure, it’s heavy and it’s fast, but it’s also not your standard metal album with just guitars, drums and bass cranked up to ten. There is a whole lot more going on in here which demands clarity and punch. The drums sound like actual drums and not this overly triggered nonsense, the bass is nice and clear, and the guitars have just enough bite to where they are not obnoxious or overkill.

I’m not going to go over specific tracks or highlights, as there are so many sections on these songs that picking them out one by one would be an exercise in futility, and it’s just not needed. There are many captivating moments on here - the album is like peaks and valleys of emotions, moods and soundscapes. And I absolutely just love and admire the fact that Akercocke are still around and that is project is done just for the sheer love of music. Yes, they share a lot of similarities, but if I had to make the hard choice of just picking one, I think I’d stay right here, with The Antichrist Imperium.

By all rights, this is superb.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Fernando on March 27, 2022.

Australia is an interesting country when it comes to black metal. Much like the USA, there isn’t a defined style outside of the blackened thrash scene, and many bands and projects mostly focus on themselves, which is good, since not having a blueprint or guide to force artists to think outside preconceptions. That was certainly the case for "Celtic black metal" project Varw, who released their debut Wights Of The Barrow Fume through Dark Adversary Productions back in 2021.

Varw, is a self described Celtic black metal project which features vocalist, guitarist and artist Greallach, with Balam of Pestilential Shadows fame handling the rest of the instruments. And the tag of “Celtic black metal” is really appropriate because the band aren’t playing flutes and whistles type pagan folk metal, nor are they just run of the mill black metal. The most distinct and unique aspect of this record is the use of acoustic guitars and very heavy atmospheres, while at the same time featuring a very somber and vicious style of black metal. While having a distinct line between the black metal tracks and the instrumental acoustic tracks does make the album have two very different sides, where Varw truly shines is how the acoustic and harsh songs perfectly complement each other.

The band very cleverly arranged the album in order for each song to flow organically from the acoustic and atmospheric, into the harsh and forlorn, furthermore, the bulk of the album are the pure black metal tracks. That being said I wouldn’t call the instrumental tracks interludes, because they aren’t. The overall atmosphere and direction of the entire album is consistent and the two sides of the album are at the end of the same coin.

In terms of instrumentation, the black metal songs are indeed, pure black metal with clear reverence for the second wave out of Norway and some Polish influence. Varw don’t conform to simply rehash the past, for one, the band managed to strike this balance of having actual hooks and excellent riffs, while creating a very intense atmosphere, and without being repetitive or overly dronning. The wall of sound the guitars and bass create is very dynamic and epic, but also maintaining a raw and harsh sound, while also being brief and compact. Another interesting aspect is the balance between Greallach’s vocals and the music as a whole, in many ways this could’ve been an instrumental album, but make no mistake, Greallach’s vocals are indeed a key component of the overall sound. The extended instrumental sections actually serve to make Greallach’s screeching wails more impactful, and likewise, the absence of said vocals also make the instruments stand out even more. That last regard also applies when the choir-like vocals show up and further enhance the more grandiose and epic side of the music. Praising Balam’s skills are an understatement since the man’s credentials speak for themselves, and while carrying the lion’s share of the instrumentation is no mean feat, his bass and drum work being his major standouts, what’s impressive is how the music doesn’t come off as a case of two dudes separately doing their job, both Greallach and Balam as a duo make this album work.

Overall, for a debut record this is impressive and awe inspiring, mainly because this is truly the work of two artists collaborating in earnest. Varw used the tried and true foundations of black metal to create something unique and distinct, equal parts furious and unrelenting, as well as somber and majestic. This is how black metal evolves.

Best tracks: 'Väki', 'Aes Sidhe', 'The Forest Is Wet With Spirits', 'Ankou', 'Yan Gant Y Tan'

Rating: 9 out of 10