I’ve said it so many times over the course of my time and I’m going to say it again – there are very few pleasures that I get out of these reviews than coming back to a band that I’ve heard before and witnessing their growth first hand. It’s the sort of thing that makes you very excited for the future while also something that allows you to reflect, and it’s tonight that I was able to do just that again with Vanum who four years ago grasped me with their debut album, “Realm of Ascension”. Now, with plenty of excellence to call their own, I return to the caldera they call home as “Ageless Fire” is exactly what I’ve been needing recently.

There are many times that I’ve listened to black metal and it all just sort of falls apart as the band doesn’t really know how to execute what they’re going for be it a rendition of a classic sound or creating something new, and that can really ruin an album. Thankfully, Vanum has seemingly known exactly what they were doing and knew precisely how to do it all in an exemplary fashion since day one as “Realm of Ascension” still is a very flavorful album, and it’s all built upon gloriously with “Ageless Fire”. It’s all brought together wondrously with a sound that takes notes from classic black metal to still carving out their own path, there’s little within these six tracks that are brimming with infectious glory as Vanum conquers yet again. Many times, I’ve noticed several acts losing themselves in the same rhythms to result in an ultimately boring experience that’s nothing special whatsoever, but “Ageless Fire” defies any such thought as there isn’t a moment within these six epics that aren’t gripping from beginning to end as we’re given one treat after another from riffs to an explorative attitude that always keeps the blood flowing as well as always ensuring that the listener actually stays listening as opposed to putting the album off to be not much more than background noise. There are many times that just such has happened with any band that tries to sound even remotely expansive, but it’s with Vanum and “Ageless Fire” that we see a refined sound taken to great lengths to result in a record that’s just as flavorful as it is powerful.

Black metal has been and always will be a style that I greatly enjoy, but it’s far from anything that many people can perform well as, even though it can be done in many different forms, it’s the sort of thing that requires the right mindset to execute. It’s with “Ageless Fire” that we see how Vanum is still a band that deserves all the praise and attention that they receive as, truly, they are a tastemaker of a band that’s not one to sleep on in any capacity.

LISTEN to “Ageless Fire” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Vanum on Facebook here.