Objects in the rear view mirror. Vahrzaw’s In the Shallows is, by the Australian trio’s own admission, heavily indebted to ’90s black metal. They explicitly cite Emperor, Satyricon, and several of their contemporaries as influences. As a kind of “best of” of that scene, the album competently strikes a balance between all-out grim, cold rage and quieter moments where the synths take center stage, an acoustic guitar pops up, or spoken word passages lay on an ominous atmosphere. Pretty much every staple of both the more straightforward acts like Gorgoroth and the aformentioned acts’ more atmospheric and synth-driven styles are … Continue reading Review: Vahrzaw – In the Shallows of a Starlit Lake