VAREGO - I, Prophetic (Album Review)

Release date: February 15th 2019. Label: Argonauta Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

I, Prophetic – Tracklisting

1.Origin 01:45

2.The Abstract Corpse 05:41

3.I, Prophetic 06:29

4.Of Dust 05:27

5.Silent Giants 05:00

6.When the Wolves Howl 03:02

7.Duelist 05:03

8.Zodiac 04:32

Members

Voice/Bass: Davide Marcenaro

Guitar: Alberto Pozzo

Guitar: Gerolamo Lucisano

Drums: Simon Lepore

Review

I, Prophetic is the new album from Italian Progressive Sludge Masters – VAREGO – and it’s perhaps their most creative album to date. The band take many risks with this album and offer a more well rounded experience with the band playing a more groovier and progressive sound that has came before it.

Opening song – Origin – is a subdued Ambient Post-Rock song with a haunting piano track offering a sense of calm before the heavy progressive sounds appear.

Second song – The Abstract Corpse – is a mixture of heavy Progressive Sludge Grooves and hard-rocking Stoner Metal riffs that I haven’t heard VAREGO attempt to do before. It’s an encouraging start as the song has quite a gloomy and atmospheric doom metal approach to it. The guitars are LOUD and perhaps the most constant threat on the entire album. The vocals from Davide are equally as good with Davide drawing influence from bands from the world of 70s Progressive Rock and perhaps King Crimson being one of the main influences for Davide’s vocals and perhaps the band as well.

Third song I, Prophetic – carries on the heavy Progressive Sound but adds a deep heavy Post-Metallic sound to the mix with VAREGO becoming almost as menacing as Neurosis and Mastodon. That’s a good thing as VAREGO add their sound to the Progressive Sludge Metal genre. The distorted vocals from Davide is a great touch as the overall feel of the album becomes heavier and darker as a result.

Songs such as Of Dust, Silent Giants and Duelist are perhaps the standout songs on the album with VAREGO creating a heavy and deep meaningful vortex of different complex rhythms and sounds. The lyrics and production are other highlights to be discovered on the album. As the lyrics add a complex and soulful meaning to the overall message of I, Prophetic.

2019 is VAREGO’s 10^th anniversary as a band and on this form I can hopefully see them for a very long time to come. I, Prophetic proves that VAREGO are one of the best Progressive Sludge Metal bands that the Italian Sludge Metal scene has to offer.

If you’re a fan of Mastodon, Baroness and Neurosis but with the sludge riffs steeped in classic sounding 70s Prog Rock then this is the album for you.

Overall, this album is a highly intelligent and complex sounding album that leaves you wanting more.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Argonauta Records and Mona at All Noir PR for the promo. I, Prophetic is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via ArgonautaRecords.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

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 2^nd 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