The very concept of a rising name throughout the vast underground is something that truly keeps each individual scene moving forward. While it is most certainly older and established names that have long held our respect and adoration, it’s the newer names that keep things moving forward even if many, if not the vast majority, of them do nothing to push the boundaries of the sound. Rather, they simply because absolutely deadly in their particular craft to such a degree that makes one ponder just how such excellence can still be achieved. For black metal, that’s fortunately quite often with names like Vástígr coming out of the very floor of the underground to deliver us spectacular visions one after another. With its second album, Vástígr poises itself for another successful effort.
Having clearly pulled from the experience that he has achieved in several other bands throughout black metal, the mastermind behind Vástígr had nothing to prove with the release of “The Path of Perdition”, but it is made furiously clear in the first track alone that the baseline was simply not an option during the crafting of these four massive tracks. Across a runtime that stretches just shy of forty-five minutes, there is much within this immersive work that we can see the aspects of greatness when it comes to black metal in its atmospheric and dissonant forms. Rather than sticking to just one, “The Path of Perdition” allows both approaches more than enough time in the limelight to allow the record to feel both greatly expansive and immeasurably dense as the power of Vástígr is a constantly driving force of the record that is always something to behold. Vast stretches of cosmic wondering that tackles the notions of futility and insignificance of man’s supposed troubles in the great scheme of the universe, “The Path of Perdition” proves the perfect backdrop for such a rising and subsequent fallout of the spirit in such a way that is nigh on compelling. Black metal that’s as scathing as it is tempered for all that it dares to be, Vástígr clearly spent the five years since its debut album well spent to ensure this record became the certifiable beast that it is.
As far as black metal is concerned, it’s clear that the mastermind behind Vástígr is just that; a master. The combined experience that the man has accrued in other acts is shown off in magnificent detail throughout the whole of this work with it sure to be amongst his most compelling and dense to date. When it comes to Vástígr at least, “The Path of Perdition” sees the name taken to the greater heights that were promised with that debut album from five years ago.
“The Path of Perdition” releases on May 24th via Avantgarde Music!
LISTEN to an advanced track from “The Path of Perdition” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.
LIKE Vástígr on Facebook here.
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