ELD VARG Ignite The Spark of Heavy Metal with new album 'Destroyer'

ELD VARG (L-R: Andy, Ollie, Micah)

Throughout the year, especially the later half, I’ve noticed a fair few bands that are helping reignite the love for genres outside my usual metalcore vibes. Of course, metalcore wouldn’t exist in the modern day without some of the older genres. Specifically, the good old vibes of Heavy Metal. The band in question for this reignition? Scottish Heavy Metallers Eld Varg who released their new album ‘Destroyer’.

Starting with ‘Achaman’, the trio start with a slower pace track to get the fans warmed up ready for what is to unfold over the 41-minute offering. Some people may look at the 6-minute length and think blimey, this is a long one but trust me when I say the band utilise this length perfectly. Whilst the track may start on a more casual level, the track builds up and kicks off near the end of its runtime, giving the fans a sign of the energy that is to come later.

What follows contains a mixture of vibes and energy throughout – fast and jaunty, slow and sludgy, melodic and heavy. There are plenty of combinations splashed into the mix without the sound becoming a convoluted mess. You want melodic solos? Done. You want moments for the bass to shine and command the stage? No problem. Maybe you just want thunderous and intricate drum work that takes charge of the rhythm? You got it. Eld Varg add all this into the mix to create a truly magical piece of work that is homage to the traditional Heavy Metal vibes.

The flow from start to finish reflects a band that have a strong element of cohesion and one that has been built strongly over time. This principle is highlighted throughout the whole album, whether you feel it through the strong sense of brotherhood and unity hidden in the gang vocals of ‘Black Starlight’ (which also contains what is my favourite solo section in the album) or just the overall galloping energy that reminds you of the good old ‘Iron Maiden’ days when listening to the battle inspiring anthem ‘VI Kings’.

‘Destroyer’ is a huge step forward from the band when compared to previous release ‘One Man Army’. That’s not to say the previous release wasn’t as good, but ‘Destroyer’ highlights how tighter and stronger Eld Varg have become over the years between releases. This is a band that will be commanding crowds with mighty dominance and incredible energy with their tracks, and ‘Destroyer’ is the album that will help cement this as the band prepare to storm the stages of venues and festivals in the new year.