Virta - Horros

Angry Metal Guy

Horros is not a metal album, in spite of Virta’s signing with the weirder-and-weirder Svart Records. What the Finnish trio does well, however, is conjure a tension between pitch-black darkness and ethereal sanguinity, a balance sure to get metalheads drooling. At its heart an electroacoustic album that blends the synthetic and handmade that tastefully paints landscapes with sound, it’s perhaps not surprising that the act was proclaimed a “cornerstone of Finnish experimental music” by members of Finnish media following the release of their sophomore effort Hurmos. How does third full-length and first album in seven years Horros hold up?

Again, Virta is not a metal band, but instead focuses on creating soundscapes through a combination of electronic, post-rock, ambient, and jazz. Immediate comparisons recall acts like Midas Fall, iamthemorning, and even Burial, while hints of Bohren & der Club of Gore and World’s End Girlfriend land softly among sprawling crystalline ambiance and low drones with trumpet, flugelhorn, and glitchy garage-inspired electronic beats. The goal is evocation, and Virta wastes no time in creating lush sonic environments of both darkness and optimism alike. For the first album in seven years, Horros will prove to be a hit for fans of electronic or ambient music in its tension between light and dark, even if its staying power is somewhat at stake.

Sola by VIRTA

Virta’s songwriting puts it firmly within the lanes of post-rock, constructing a simple motif or melody that reemerges throughout each song’s various movements. However, the fusion with chaotic garage beats makes it a dichotomously lush and urgent release. Opener “Aelita” recalls Burial’s “Archangel” in its intricate and chaotic beats contrasted with the lush Midas Fall ambiance and dark jazz trumpet overlays. Tracks like “Tunneli,” “Toulee nousee” and closer “Aamu” are sprawling crescendos of darkness and melody guided by droning flugelhorn, initial recollections of ominous dark ambiance and rumbling drone giving way to more shimmering melody. “Sola” and “Sininen” utilize a more glitchy attack, recalling the wonky hiccups of World’s End Girlfriend that contrast neatly with the slick tension between crystalline and smothering. The sole appearance of vocals by all three members in “Karhu” proves a tasteful climax to a mostly instrumental take with sudden clarity to an opaque album. Although somewhat out of place, “Millennium” features a more 80’s smooth jazz reminiscent of Kenny G. in its sultry trumpet crooning with tasteful fluidity.

The limitations of Horros are largely relegated to its stylistic choices and influences. Virta makes no bones about doing anything but creating soundscapes and constructing sonic environs, and thus it works more as a mood piece than anything truly earthshaking. The Finns have their craft down to a science, but an electronic/post-rock/jazz album is far from immediate, sporting divisive influences across the board. Simply put, Horros will not be for everyone, and for some on the fence it functions as a nice piece of background music. Not every track is perfect or fits in with the theme, as darker tracks like “Tunneli” and “Toulee nousee” lack a solid central melody to stand out amid the better pieces, while “Millennium” is a jarring inclusion in its sudden smoothness and optimism, in spite of its solid yet devilish homage to Kenny G’s “Songbird.”

At best, Virta accomplishes exactly what it means to in evocative sonic landscapes constructed with unique elements of electronic, jazz, and post-rock. As wonky as it can be, it swallows you whole if you’re willing, but can simply fall into the background of ambient mood music due to its sprawling subtlety. Expertly and intricately constructed with a powerful blend of synthetic and organic, there is nonetheless little here that feels outstanding. However, its otherworldly tension between ominous and optimistic is noteworthy – fans of Midas Fall, dark jazz, and garage music would do well to check out Virta’s Horros.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Svart Records
Websites: virtaband.com | virta.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/virtaband
Releases Worldwide: October 6th, 2023

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