Black metal albums about space have been done since the dawn of time yet I still can’t get enough of them. On Vorga’s debut, Striving Toward Oblivion, they continue the long-standing tradition of meshing melodic black metal with cosmic themes. I can’t lie, the album art almost always sells me and this one is no different. While I expected something a bit more brutal or technical, I was pleasantly surprised at how melodic the arctic riffs are. There’s a lot of musicality in how they form their crescendos over pummeling blast beats. The production style is quite clean and feels like a natural fit for emphasizing the freezing atmosphere.
Vorga’s primary strength as a band is how tight everything feels. The riffs are precisely tuned in with the mass of melodies while the vocals balance themselves between aggression and moments of tranquility. A lot of the structures are repetitive but combined with the cosmic melodies, they come off as consistent rather than a chore. Moreover, the transitions are seamless and the subtle variations in the riffs help shape the sound in a unique way. On songs like “Last Transmission”, the impeccable guitar work builds towards an explosive finale of crushing fury. The opener “Starless Sky” has a leviathan riff backed by raging tempos and stellar drumming. At its peak, Striving Toward Oblivion is easily one of the best melodic black metal albums in recent memory.
There are moments where Vorga falters on their debut and most of it is on longer songs like “Taken.” These long-winding passages rarely transform into a satisfying climax and by the time the stable riffing returns, it’s overstayed its welcome. Vorga’s reliance on repetitive structures can also be their downfall at times when these passages stay on cruise control for the entire song. Where the first three songs came ripping out of the gate, the final two feel awkwardly tacked on. Despite a tight 45-minute runtime, Striving Toward Oblivion would’ve benefitted from cutting the fat during longer songs. Regardless, Striving Toward Oblivion still manages to be a captivating debut with plenty to love if you’re a fan of spacey black metal.
Must Listens: Starless Sky, Comet, Last Transmission
