Vaarwel, also known as Frozen Ocean, takes us through, unhindered, into scenes from his studio within the Russian wilderness, performing with majestic sadness that only dreams can know. Uncomplicated and raw, these four tracks are tasteful diligent work.
The typical nasty mastering often accompanied with black metal and the classic too much reverb applied to give the appearance of an open sound is the mean hindrance on this EP. In this case the delay and reverb effects mute and blend the otherwise great tunes, bleeding over them to release like a scolding mist. Wear a wet suit to swim in these sound waves.
There’s a degree of optimism held in that the songs themselves are coherent and well paced. The Prowess Of Dormition is well arranged. Building on strong guitar based foundations and embellishing the set into an articulate performance the different and varied layers divulge meaning to the songs’ holistic decree.
The conclusive sound is akin to modern heritage. While the riffs have the form of heritage black metal there’s a twist of superposition in elements that add uniqueness to the sound. An explanation is that it’s a juxtaposition between the sound that has accompanied suicidal and depressive black metal with a more hopeful approach to make delightful songs with bleak souls.
8/10
