Varaha – A Passage for Lost Years (Review)

Varaha are an atmospheric metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

This album contains 69 minutes of music that merges blackgaze, doom, post-black, Gothic, and post-metal together into a beguiling and affecting package.

The songs on this album are rich and expressive, showing an emotional depth that allows the music to reach deep into the listener. The band have a strong talent for creating music that mixes the styles mentioned above together seamlessly. The result is nine songs that effortlessly combine some of the most vital and rich elements of doom and Gothic metal to craft an album of harrowing beauty and atmospheric substance.

Negatively charged and full of achingly bleak emotion, this is a gorgeous collection of songs that also have a sharp side. Everything here is geared towards maximum emotive impact, and despite how exquisite the various melodies and clean vocals are, you can still get stung by the serrated screams and weight of feeling. Varaha are an emotive force, and this force can hurt.

There’s an earthy, warm quality to this music that’s very welcoming. The structuring and songwriting of the tracks is such that despite its length this is still a very moreish album. A Passage for Lost Years wants, requires, and deserves your attention, and even after multiple spins you still find yourself wanting more, craving the textured, multifaceted darkness that Varaha give you so freely.

A Passage for Lost Years is an exceptional album, one which is worth exploring over and over again in only the way that time can facilitate. As you absorb and digest this compelling release, you’ll simply crave it more and more.

Essential listening for any discerning music fan.