VALOSTA VARJOON prove once again that the harsh darkness of black metal can be conjured not only in Scandinavia, but also in the realms of the Upper Palatinate Forest, where, atop imposing granite boulders, many a castle ruin endures the passage of time as a symbol of both historical defiance and melancholic decay. On "Blut, Stahl und Leid," the fourth full-lenght by the Bavarians V.V. and Sturmwolf, barbaric frenzy and anthemic grandeur – as in the title track, which resurrects the proud spirit of the early nineties with wistful undertones – coalesce with the band’s signature defiant black’n’roll into a compelling whole. Compared to their earlier works, the new compositions have gained such sharpness, definition, and catchiness that this is without a doubt the band’s finest release to date. Founded in 2016 in Neumarkt (Upper Palatinate, Germany) as a solo project by V.V., the project evolved into a duo in 2018 when Sturmwolf joined the ranks. In its early days, the sound was firmly rooted in classic melodic black metal – cold, melancholic, and tradition-driven. But over time something else started to bleed into it. Today, VALOSTA VARJOON refuse easy categorization. Black metal collides with dirty rock’n’roll and punk spirit. The result is raw, unpolished and pissed-off sounding music – less calculated composition, more like a late-night outburst echoing through a worn-out amplifier in a smoky bar. Lyrically, the band drifts far away from fantasy clichés. Instead, they draw inspiration from myths and legends of their home region around Neumarkt, mixing them with themes of melancholy, misanthropy, alcohol, and the so-called "Grattler" existence – a Bavarian expression for a life on the margins, somewhere between stubborn defiance and deliberate roughness. VALOSTA VARJOON means "from the light into the shadow" in Finnish.
