Black metal gone gothy/shoegaze-pop. Yeah, I know, I know but it does actually work. it's on Profound Lore so just trust.
It's got Toby Driver from Kayo Dot and Maudlin Of The Well so there's pedigree in this band. Before we go on a quick reminder of how astonishingly incredible Maudlin Of The Well were:-
Back to Vaura it's really hard to explain their sound. It's a bit of a slow burner. Thought it was alright on the first listen and maybe listened to again a week later but became one of those albums you're strangely drawn into playing until you suddenly realise it's incredible. Layers and depth reveal themselves. For example right this second I've noticed a bit of Cynic style vocoder space vocals in one of the songs (Putting Flesh To The Bone). At other points it's like 80s King Crimson covering Amorphis or My Bloody Valentine covering Rush. Other points it's a bit like that Beastmilk polished neo-goth thing but doing California by Mr Bungle. Strangely though it does all sound normal. They're not pretentiously trying to make really weird off beat sounds to be purposely obscure. It doesn't sound jarring in the slightest. In terms of black metally underground stuff it's really pop orientated. This lot could quite easily be hounded out of the hall by Manowar for being wimps and poseurs. Tedious people with BO will talk about Pitchfork and the brooklynisation of music nowadays.
I think I'm losing the thread of what I'm trying to say.
All these different sounds float about but it's a coherent voice. It's a bit like the way Take 5 by The Dave Brubeck Quartet is a totally whistleable pop tune but it's in 5/4 and the musicians are doing all kinds of acrobatics without you realising unless you really listen.
I've got a gut feeling that this album will slowly release even more secrets as time goes on and I think i'd put money on me declaring it a bona fide classic in ten years time
