Vrag — ‘Harcom’ (September 18, 2021, Filosofem Records)
Old school misanthropic Black Metal
The one-man band Vrag presents its third album, an offering to the black metal of the old guard, impregnated with cold and evil sounds that represent the spirit of the great Nordic masters.
Vrag is a black metal band originally from Hungary. It was formed in 2010 by its sole member Roland Neubauer aka Vrag, who has also participated with the atmospheric black metal band Witcher where he shares credit with Karola Gere and recently joined also as vocalist of Frozen Wreath, which shares the same musical orientation; besides being part of Earth Plague, another Hungarian black metal act, although here he only participates as bassist for their live performances under the pseudonym Maniac. The name Vrag is Serbo-Croatian for ‘Devil’ and Bulgarian/Russian for ‘Enemy’.
The same year of their formation Vrag recorded their first demo ‘A természet útján…’ on a CD limited to 150 copies and released independently. In 2011 a second demo titled ‘Avarkoporsó’ started to show regularity in the project to the extent that the Netherlands label Achtung! Records reissued this demo on cassette the following year. Subsequently the compilation ‘Forever on the Way of Nature Demo Collection 2010–2011’ was released where obviously the two Vrag demos were put together along with a new track. It is at this time that the Hungarian act begins to have a great activity, collaborating on 4 splits with other efforts from the same country, highlighting the record shared with his sister band Witcher ‘Hőseinkért…’ from 2012.
Finally their debut album ‘Mourningwood’ was released by Russian label Dark East Productions in 2014 where Vrag finally exploits their talent and materializes an outstanding work of cold and raw black metal that immediately consolidates the band within the European underground scene.
Three years later, the second opus ‘Remete’ was recorded, this time with their compatriots Neverheard Distro. Once again Vrag shows an excellent work keeping that gloomy and evil spirit with a more refined and mature sound.
With four years of difference with its predecessor ‘Harcom’ emerges from the shadows released by the Hungarian label Filosofem Records, specialized in the underground black metal of that country. With 5 tracks and a total running time of 45 minutes, Vrag’s third record marks the return of one of Hungary’s most prominent acts.
The album opens with the homonymous ‘Harcom’, an old school misanthropic black metal anthem, totally linked to the golden age of the genre. In its gloomy riffs you can identify the classic Scandinavian style obtaining an evil and infernal sound. For its part ‘Belül Halott’ implements a hypnotic rhythm achieved by the classic black metal riff and diabolical vocals that as a whole, consecrate an offering to darkness.
In the middle part of the album appears ‘Az én Keresztem’, a more atmospheric piece, which includes an intro and a mid-tempo riff base that immediately creates a cold and desolate atmosphere. The vocals are perceived distant and isolated in a deathly passage. The incursion of melodic resources serve to accentuate the feeling of rawness and melancholy, being this theme one of the highlights of ‘Harcom’.
The longest track of the album ‘Ott Vagy a Azélben’ which in its 10 minutes of duration represents a manifesto full of evil and a strong rooting to the underground sound. In its structure you can find all the spirit of primitive and raw black metal.
For the closing ‘Búcsúzom a Némaságtól’ prints its gloomy seal thanks to its cold and evil riffs. It is worth mentioning that the final part includes a ‘hidden’ track with a couple of instrumental minutes with a more aggressive style and a devastating blast beat.
In conclusion ‘Harcom’ is shown as one of the best black metal records of the year, thanks to its devotion to the purest style of the genre, within its notes you can find the essence of the classic sound and the feeling it transmits refers to the great exponents of yesteryear.
