It’s the great vast majority of the time that whenever I go to listen to any given album, it’s done via either request, a referral from a friend with likewise taste, or my own research. But just occasionally, I can sit back and watch the community itself pick out the albums for me out of the constant bombardment of releases. Several groups on Facebook have been absolutely essential in knowing what the scene is dishing out since I am just one person, so pooling from hundreds of others widens the net just a little bit. I’ve gotten a good number from those fine people in the past few months with Valdrin being one of them, and it’s one of the best that the hive has suggested for some time.

On the surface with barely any research and not even listening to this album, you already get the feeling that it has something good going for it from the cover art to the label to Valdrin’s two records before this. So, when you realize the sheer grandeur of “Effigy of Nightmares” upon investigation, it feels both warranted and immensely rewarding. Despite the tracklist only having six songs to call its own, each one of them has an almost entirely unique sound that makes each stand out from the other to make for a listen that’s not only diverse but incredibly good by all standards of black metal. Valdrin expertly dashes melody on top of it all to just continuously reel the listener in even more to their absolutely devilish concoction that is just so tantalizing to eat up bit by bit such that by the end of the finale, you’re scrambling to hear more of “Effigy of Nightmares” because it was both so good and not nearly long enough. It’s such a deadly piece of black metal that’s constantly being pulled off with clear mastery over this craft that can be messed up oh so easily, but it’s the Valdrin’s past experience that has done them extremely well for their third full-length effort to create what’s undoubtedly one of the many highlights that black metal is going to produce this year by far.

Such works like this should not be ignored nor should the band be underestimated, and, fortunately, Valdrin has not suffered such an unfortunate fate with this album showing us so much of what they’re capable of even in their simplest moments. Any modern black metal fan should absolutely make a point to check out “Effigy of Nightmares” the soonest opportunity that they have for it is more than likely something that will scratch that ever-present itch for quality just like I did.

LISTEN to “Effigy of Nightmares” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Valdrin on Facebook here.