Eld Varg – ‘Destroyer’

Metal

Independent Release

Release Date – November 14th, 2025

Review By Smudge Smith

It was Saturday, 1^st June 2025, in a tent in Lincoln that I first witnessed Eld Varg. The tent housed one of the bars at the Call of the Wild festival. I was thirsty, so I had a pint of fine English ale and watched open-mouthed at three young Japanese fellas pound out the type of metal I enjoy. It’s heavy and loud with huge riffs and mighty rhythms. They sing about battles on land and sea and of heroes and anti-heroes, and they make you forget whatever’s happening in your life the time they’re on stage. And now we have their second album (technically their third because they re-recorded their debut), and what a mighty slab of granite-hard metal it is.

Opener ‘Achaman’ is a heroic chunk of melodic metal (don’t ask me what it means because I’ve tried all sorts of translations and none of them seem right) before the title track brings a shedload of chugging riffage and a muscular masculine vocal from Noakes. Micah Snow bangs bass on the intro to ‘The Hell Of Mirrors’ as Noakes knocks out some power chords before they settle into a doomy, sludgey trudge. The image is of a cold, difficult journey fraught with danger. ‘Black Starlight’ is faster and prepares you for a mighty punch-up as the swords and axes are sharpened for the battle to come. It’s a steady build on the intro to ‘VI Kings’, but you know what’s coming as Noakes brings another meaty, chunky riff, all backed by a pounding rhythm from Snow and Hedges. They also provide some beefy backing vocals as a call to arms. ‘Darkest Waves’ rattles along at a rate of knots thanks to Hedges’ double kick, then the final cut, ‘Crestfallen’, brings out the acoustic for the intro along with waves lapping the shore before the power chords come in over the top and they settle into a tight groove.

There’s no hiding place in a power trio, and these boys know that. The songs are trimmed of fat and all revolve around the mighty riffs of Ollie Noakes. Snow and Hedges lock into a groove that allows Noakes the freedom. Not only has he got a tidy line in riffs, but the boy can shred too. Some of the leads are blinding. If you like heavy and melodic with an air of fantasy and battles, then I urge you to pick this up. You won’t be disappointed.

Track List –

Achaman

Destroyer

The Hell Of Mirrors

Black Starlight

VI Kings

Darkest Waves

Crestfallen