Verilun
‘Through Fire… In The Sun’
Sliptrick Records
2018
Black/Death Metal
It has been a good few years since Verilun released their debut album ‘Home for the Dead’ in 2013. This year, the band from Hungary which plays a blend of death and black metal are back with their anticipated follow up ‘Through Fire… In The Sun’.
During their five-year absence, Verilun have focused their sound a little more, their ability to amalgamate both black and death metal has become exceptionally smooth and because of this, ‘Through Fire…’ sounds slick and amazingly fresh. Furthermore, this sound is hugely down to the production; ‘Through Fire…’ has an excellent finish which really brings out each instrument allowing the listener to feel each beat, growl and riff with crystal clear ease. One of the most impressive factors of this production is the ability to hear the keyboard, an instrument which often gets buried in the mix and can become quite pointless, but with this album, the soundscapes really manages to fill out the sound, making ‘Through Fire…’ have the almost epic edge of Carach Angren, Emperor or Immortal, which can be seen clearly during ‘Seven Years and Seven Winks’, ‘Upon the Mountain’ and ‘Gamma Binauris’.
This album is not just a tour de force of black metal, the splicing of death metal adds a different dimension to the sound of Verilun. However, ‘Through Fire…’ borrows heavily from the Gothenburg sound of the 90’s incorporating elements of early In Flames, At The Gates and Dark Tranquillity as well as the more standard death metal of Dead Congregation, Cruciamentum and Incantation.
Unfortunately, ‘Through Fire…’ does not break new ground and what Verilun do is not unique to them, but, this album is very enjoyable and when compared to their peers, ‘Through Fire…’ has the potential to stand out, even surpass releases by more established bands and because of this, ‘Through Fire…’ is definitely worth a listen.
70/100
Adam McCann
