It's funny, Dave and I were just talking about how we don't get a lot of symphonica black metal these days, and then lo and behold we get a few new submissions; the latest among being Finland's Vavatar. Unlike groups like Emperor, this project's sound is a little more understated. It takes me back to albums like Dark Medieval Times and Far Away From The Sun. If you enjoy this genre from a more 2nd wave standpoint, this is a must-listen. Here's what the project's leader had to say about it:
"The album has been brewing for a long time; some of the music was first written over 10 years ago. Now anonymity-obsessed forces have created the band Vaivatar to pull this material together for a free, independent album release on Bandcamp. The music has one clear constant: it’s melodic. It’s blackly tinted all over, but toes are dipped in many waters: we have progressive song structuring, doomy moods, and riffing that borrows from more traditional heavy/power metal. Orchestration makes a frequent, often extravagant, appearance but is not used across the board."