Band:	Varg
Album:	Das Ende Aller Lügen
Style:	Melodic black metal, Pagan folk metal
Release date:	January 15, 2016
A review by:	D.T. Metal

01. Der Große Diktator
02. Das Ende Aller Lügen
03. Revolution
04. Streyfzug
05. Achtung
06. Dunkelheit
07. Totentanz [feat. Anna Murphy]
08. Einherjer
09. Wintersturm
10. Ascheregen

Varg - love 'em or hate 'em ?(you know who you are)! So, if you see yourself in the latter category, you might want to stop reading right about now, since I actually like the album.

Three plus years have passed and the 'Wolfsrudel' is at it again. While versatility was never an issue with Varg, on 2012's Guten Tag they went overboard and paid way too much homage to some of their peers; In Extremo or Die Apokalyptischen Reiter anyone? Now, did they continue this trend on Das Ende Aller Lügen? Well, yes and no, but one thing is for sure, their new effort is the most musical diverse one in their discography ?. and thankfully less(ish) Callejon sounding.

Starting with a rather strong political themed title track, one would think that's the direction Varg took on this album, but they really didn't. After choosing Charlie Chaplin's speech from "The Great Dictator" as an intro ([url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8HdOHrc3OQ]click here to watch this great speech in English[/url]) some already have their panties in a bunch because of the lyrical content of "Das Ende Aller Lügen". I for one, see the song more as a call to 'arms' about the corrupt governments and all their lies, but hey, that's my interpretation.

And while "Revolution" and "Streyfzug" somewhat follow this lyrical concept, the music is way more upbeat. Nothing wrong with that in my book and to be honest, the overall musical variances in each song on the new album was something I missed on their last one.

Production wise, Das Ende Aller Lügen has to be the best Varg produced yet. Crisp guitars on all channels, deep bass and drums and the vocals are mixed just right. And speaking of vocals - I am very pleased with Freki's performance on their new effort. Be it the clean or the harsh, guttural vocals; each song showcases his growth as a singer.

The amount of 'ear-candy' on the album was the most surprising to me. Be it the oriental hint at the beginning of "Achtung" before the guitars invite you to pump your fists and headbang immediately; seriously - this song will be part of their live set, no doubt. Or the black metal tune "Dunkelheit" in which the drumming is nothing short of perfect; the same goes for "Wintersturm" by the way. Not only are the drums right on par, but the gents also prove that they are no slouches in the riffing department.

To be honest it's hard not to do a song-by-song review since each and every track has something special. Eluveitie Anna Murphy's ever so beautiful voice brings a whimsical touch to the rather dark "Totentanz", while the last fight of the "Einherjer" is a (musical) small step toward "Schildfront"; epic and with an oh so memorable chorus.

As I said at the beginning, versatility was never a foreign concept to Varg. It looks like the band found their groove and/or purpose again after the, let's call it experimental, last album. Das Ende Aller Lügen feels more aggressive in the song structure with an overall dark vibe. And while they also brought back the pagan, or rather yet folksy feel to their music, the term "Neue Deutsche Härte" might not be too far off neither.

People who made up their minds about Varg will probably not even give this album a chance. (not getting into the reasons here - Google is your friend) But for those of you who are on the fence or new to the band, do give this one a spin or two; you won't regret it.