Valkyr
Valkyr EP
Valkyr are purveyors of instrumental metal and that’s about all you need to know. It’s something of a throwback to the eighties with widdly guitar soloing over the top of either clean or distorted chords, accompanied by solid bass and some drums to push it all along.
It conjurs up images of floaty-sleeved virtuosos stood atop a cliff with giant waves crashing against the rocks below while mist drifts around their feet. It’s all a little cheesy really.
With all the post-rock instrumental bands, you get surprises along the way and sometimes, if you’re lucky, some real crazy stuff that pushes the musical envelope. With Valkyr, you get archive footage of a heavy metal band jamming while they wait for their singer to turn up.
This record is far too late to stand a chance of competing with the current complex instrumentalists and they have none of the invention or excitement you’d have from, for example, Mogwai.
Written by Smith on
