During the last few years, Ván has earned a reputation for releasing decent to outstanding Black Metal. And INARBORAT’s self-titled debut definitely makes no exception here. To me their music is like a tribute to the heydays of the Norwegian Black Metal scene back in the nineties and since more or less all of the old masters have vanished or went astray, quite a welcome one. Well, they aren’t exactly the first ones who try to capture that certain “northern” feeling that made “Bergtatt”, “Vikingligr Veldi” or “Nattestid” so special, but they’re among more talented ones for sure. What sets them apart is the ability to find an own expression within the frame set by the aforementioned, style-defining monuments without becoming mere copycats or just another soulless clone. One can feel honesty and dedication in their music, which enables them to create something pure and timeless. Some of the songs were already present on their not-so-old “Wisdom Sans Words” demo, but for me it’s a new track like ‘Schwingenbruch’ that really shows the tremendous potential of this act. Let’s hope it’s not just a one-off-project… www.van-gbr.de