Vardan – Hidden in a Tomb
Quite possibly one of the more lifeless and uninteresting 1 man black metal bands I have heard in a long time… which says a lot. Imagine singular/dimensionless riff ideas pushed by a simplistic and quick drum beat (the more I spin this, the more the drums sound synthetic), plus a clean bass sound to achieve that Transylvanian Hunger essence. Swing and a miss! The essence wasn’t captured at all… just horribly resuscitated for another pathetic retardation of a sound that once was a bold statement and blast of cold arctic grimness. The music on Hidden in a Tomb lacks the interesting songwriting, riff writing and vocal prowess needed to salvage the songs, which incidentally, end up all sounding completely interchangeable. Heavily reverb soaked, mid ranged screams that sound very frail, like cartoon talking, hide behind a bass drum thump that ends up dominating the mix. This is by far the most identifiably weak and ineffective element on this album. Tremolo dominant riff ideas rise and fall in a heap of wandering and unchallenging structures that do little to hold my interest for 2 minutes, let alone an entire album. This is the 1st of 4 albums soon to be unearthed by Vardan and Folter Records and if the newer material also lacks the body, imagination and content found on display here, I think it’s probably best to keep the whole of Vardan’s “sinister” filler, “Hidden in a Tomb”. -Marty
FOLTER RECORDS
Worm Gear 