Valar Morghulis is a rather new heavy metal band hailing from Milan, Italy. They formed in 2017, released an EP entitled The Origins, and have now finished their first full-length, Fields of Ashes. Let’s give it a spin!
Its first song, Where the Blackfish Dwell, starts with a heavy intro which then reduces to a midtempo beat. Strong female vocals, sung by Isobelle, vaguely remind of Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia. The bit of a Lacuna Coil vibe can also be found on A Love and Battle Song and Broken Eagle. Devil’s Dreams starts off as more of a ballad, but then turns into a catchy rock song. Dreadfort is slower paced, but then things heat up again with Darvulia – a more pressing song leaning towards dark metal and marked by growls next to the clan female vocals. Queen of Hades then again takes a turn and tends more towards symphonic metal, all while growls are interjected to create a darker atmosphere. That continues on the last song, entitled To the Walls, which now has a Nightwish-feel to it. Diversity is king on this record!
In conclusion: Valar Morghulis have certainly found a basic sound and song structure that is “theirs”, but spice things up with a lot of elements taken from other genres, as described above. That makes the listening experience quite interesting, as you never know quite certainly what comes next. It’s a strong debut album and certainly puts the guys on my radar for what is there to come. Give them a go as well! 9/10.
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