Varathron: Crowsreign (2004)

After their 1999 EP The Lament of Gods, Varathron sort of disappeared for awhile.  Technically they did not break up, but it was a few years before anything new was released.  Some more lineup changes occurred and the band released a new album in 2004.

Crowsreign follows along with the sound that the band turned to on the 1999 EP.  It is a much more gothic and mysterious sound with frequent keyboard flourishes.  Indeed, the keyboards and piano have really taken center stage on this release with songs built around these melodies instead of guitar riffs.  The guitar riffs themselves sound much more like something that would be heard on the early releases from At The Gates or Dark Tranquillity.  They have much more of a distorted crunch to them.  But it is not just the instrumentation that has changed. 

Vocalist Stefan Necroabyssius uses clean vocals a great deal in this release as well, though to call it singing would be a mistake.  It is much more of a melodic chant than singing.  When he is not using his clean vocals, the vocals are delivered in much more of a death metal-esque bark than on previous releases.  He has always used gruff vocal stylings, but it is more concentrated and sounds like something out of the Gothenburg melodeath scene.

The highlight here is the epic "The King of Asine" which puts all of the elements together, using strong riffing, terrific vocal tone and some of the best songwriting in the band in years.  Unfortunately, this album is filled with many more misses than hits and that high point is not enough to overcome the stumbles.

This is certainly an interesting release, but it is not one that I feel comfortable recommending for those new to Varathron.  It stands out a bit in the band's discography because it is much more experimental, but it is not one of the band's better albums.