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Album reviews Music

Varg – Guten Tag

VARG play the Opera House on December 13. See listing. Rating: NNN


The fourth full-length record from Coburg, Germany’s Varg unites elements of pagan metal, folk instrumentation, black metal acridness and death metal aggression, making it difficult to fit the band into a specific genre. Like mixed martial artists moving between styles, Varg combine the disparate elements to make something powerful, with the lightly incorporated folk elements adding illumination and depth.

Throughout Guten Tag, the band balances aggression and threat with blood-stirring, bright and genuinely fun moments. Stormy militaristic track Angriff evokes the image of sparking steel blades. A Thousand Eyes has obsidian-sharp riffs and punishing double-bass drumming, yet also includes an acoustic interlude.

There are gritty moments in the mix when the elements grind against each other too sharply, and sometimes Varg make predictable choices. Still, it’s their strongest album.

Top track: A Thousand Eyes

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