ALBUM REVIEW: Ewige Wacht – Varg
Make no bones about it – Germany are a powerhouse when it comes to European metal, and they’re often damn good at a variety of forms, from the shredding riffs of KREATOR and the Teutonic thrash scene right through to the downright silly and sensational electronic metalcore of ELECTRIC CALLBOY. Somewhere along the spectrum fall VARG, stalwarts of the country’s pagan metal movement. Formed in 2005, the Bavarian outfit have gone through their fair share of troubles, from changing band members to a 2009 disagreement with new label Nuclear Blast that resulted in their contract being terminated just weeks into the deal. Now happily on Napalm Records, the band’s eighth album Ewige Wacht (translation: Eternal Watches) is out on Friday October 13th and marks the debut release for new members Ulvar and Rohgarr on guitar/bass and drums respectively.
It’s important to point out, first and foremost, that the term ‘pagan metal’ is an umbrella – VARG‘s main style is more in line with melodic death, yet their stories of Norse mythology within their music mean they’re put in that same overarching bracket as bands like MOONSORROW and HEILUNG, despite their differing sounds. Curiously, there’s only one song explicitly referencing anything Nordic on Ewige Wacht, and that’s Tyr: named after the Germanic God of War, it’s appropriately gritty, built on the solid foundation of new boy Rohgarr‘s double bass pedals and vocalist Freki‘s harsh tones as he growls in his native language; like the rest of the back catalogue, the band have stuck to their mother tongue for singing and, for those who have limited or no knowledge of what’s being said, it works to the band’s advantage, forming another layer of musicianship and complimenting each song without detracting due to an understanding of the words.
There’s one big standout across the record, though, and that’s Fylgja, the band’s other vocalist; confusingly, this time around, also the name of the album’s fourth track. Having made her debut on 2020’s Zeichen, she has really come into her own on Ewige Wacht and the quality of the songs really pick up when she’s involved. Second single Eisenseite (‘Iron Side’) is a gem, stomping along excellently as her clean, alto tones soar impressively and, as if it were meant to be, the song bearing her namesake grabs your attention thanks to her pipes in the chorus as much as its slower tempo – a nice break from the prior three tracks – and the curveball of a child’s voice singing the final refrain in the track. This isn’t to say that the songs sans Fylgja are duds, far from it – Hammer is a great song to incite both headbanging and fist-pumping to name just one example – but it’s very noticeable from the beginning how much of an edge Fylgja‘s addition has given the band over the course of this decade.
It really feels, with Ewige Wacht, that VARG are about to embark on a new wave of recognition and admiration. Even with two new members, this is a step up from their last record and should see them win over a significant army of fans. It’s not perfect, but the door they opened to a new world of possibilities three years ago is already reaping rewards.
Rating: 7/10
Ewige Wacht is set for release on October 13th via Napalm Records.
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