Thursday 27 October 2016

Varego - Epoch (Album Review)


Release date: October 10th 2016. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD

Epoch – Tracklisting

1.Alpha Tauri 07:01
2.Phantasma 05:09
3.Flying King 04:44
4.The Cosmic Dome 06:16
5.Swarms 06:23
6.Dominion 06:53

Band Members:

Voice/Bass: Davide Marcenaro
Guitar: Alberto Pozzo
Guitar: Gerolamo Lucisano
Drums: Simon Lepore

Review:

Varego return with their 2nd album – Epoch. A blend of progressive sludge rhythms and tribal post-metal sounds sees Varego add more scope to their music. Drawing from their sludge/post-metal contemporaries, Varego show a dramatic flair to their music with post-rock sounds starting the album off with the first track – Alpha Tauri for the first few moments before Davide's start to arrive. The atmosphere becomes quite frantic at times with the dual guitar work from Alberto and Gerolamo.

Epoch contains some stunning ideas that allows Varego to create addictive progressive sludge riffs. Shades of early-era Mastodon and Baroness can be detected throughout the album but Varego excel in creating their own musical identity. The album has a certain cinematic edge to it especially on songs such as Phantasma, The Cosmic Dome and Swarms.

With this being a sludge metal album, Epoch has a slight depressing doom and gloom feel to it. It does allow Varego to inject heavy moments of psychedelia into the mix. The lyrics are another highlight with the band writing lyrics with actual meaning to the music being played around you. The album sounds excellent which isn't surprising since it was mixed and mastered by the legendary Billy Anderson.

One of the albums main strengths is how Varego experiment with their sound on every song. Each of the songs sound very different to each other. With more of our favourite Sludge/Post-Metal bands starting to embrace the more aspects of commercial rock/metal music, it's good to hear a band such as Varego creating heavy moments of Post-Metal/Sludge Metal that their more famous contemporaries used to make back in the day.

If you're a fan of the classic sludge/post-metal style of music then Varego have a few surprises waiting for you on the final two tracks of Swarms and Dominion. Dominion is perhaps the standout track on the album as Varego unleash the albums heaviest and perhaps most catchiest riffs.

Epoch is an album more people should be checking out as it would be a shame this album not getting the full recognition that it deserves.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Barbara at NeeCee Agency for the promo. Epoch is available to buy now on CD/DD from Argonauta Records.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp