Valdrin – Apex Violator
Valdrin – Apex Violator
Self-Released
20/06/2025
Review by Oli Gonzalez
6/10
Heading over to the USA now for a Melodic Black Metal band that are new to me, Valdrin. As they describe themselves as a band “known for their intricate compositions, storytelling prowess, and immersive soundscapes”, I was curious to see how this would manifest on record. More curiously, I wanted to see how they embedded lore of Ausadjur Mythos and the underlying story of Valdrin Ausadjur and his manipulative adversary, Nex Animus. You’re probably thinking, ‘who, who, and what the hell is that?’. And that’s fine. One of my all-time favourite albums is “Legend Of The Bone Carver” by Pyramaze, not only for the incredible musicianship, but for the band’s outstanding creativity in putting together a full-blown narrative and translating that into musical form! Not something you often associate with Black Metal, so I was intrigued to see the storytelling credentials of Valdrin, as well as their musical prowess. Let’s get into it…
Immediately, ‘Poison Soul Vents’ sets a grim and bleak atmosphere with the synths and keys, all before smashing your senses with a blood-curdling scream from behind the mic! Gnarly! There seems to be a stronger sense of groove and rhythm than what you normally get from a Black Metal record, almost like a dark hypnotic waltz. This continues in the early stages of ‘Black Imperial Smoke’, before ascending to more traditional blast beats and thus a different flavour of intensity. A decent start I’d say! Though at the mid-point of the album, my attention did start to wander, if I’m honest.
I’m drawn to some of the more Modern Black Metal artists who are pushing the boundaries and adding their own stamp to it. Though sadly, I fear that Valdrin aren’t really offering anything new to the genre in this effort. I’m getting a strong Emperor vibe throughout, the seminal band who surely must have been a key influence here. This is also evident in the production, emulating the Black Metal legends. However, with the vast majority of that Norwegian superpower’s recordings being done in the 1990s, understandably, they appear to be a little retrograde looking back. But this is 2025, and I can’t really forgive the poor production values on this record. It sounds more like a rushed demo rather than a carefully polished masterpiece at times, with instruments seeming to be far too fuzzy and muddy when they could be searingly sharp and bright.
As for the storytelling, I couldn’t pick any of it up! This was largely due to the vocals, which, whilst they were fierce in parts, made following along to any narrative nigh on impossible. That was a little disappointing.
So overall, a brave effort by a group of musicians who appear to be very passionate about what they do, but just missing the mark with their execution.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Poison Soul Vents
02. Black Imperial Smoke
03. Ignite the Murder Shrine
04. The Muttering Derelict
05. Veins Of Akasha
LINKS:
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