Valkyrie ‘Fear’ Review: Virginia rockers hit hard rock bravura on latest release.
Featuring the brother duo of Mike (vocalist guitarist) and Pete Adams (guitarist, formerly of Baroness), Valkyrie have been forging a sturdy mix of hard rock with elements of southern rock and stoner metal ever since the early aughts.
The group return with Fear, their second release on Relapse Records (out July 24th), and it shows a further development in sound without abandoning their muscular rock template.
Feeling So Low kicks things off, starting with a wall of wailing feedback before settling into a greasy southern riff and Adams’ bellowing vocals.
Afraid to Live follows, beginning with ghostly arpeggio guitar lines before galloping into a stop-start structure that recalls Pepper Keenan-era Corrosion of Conformity, while Alan Fary’s snaky bass-line conjures John Carpenter’s theme to Assault on Precinct 13. The chorus of “afraid to live/scared to die” sounds eerily apropos to our pandemic present, and downright cathartic as a result.
The Choice is propelled by a glorious dual guitar riff, casting an autumnal, melancholic vibe over the mid-tempo framework, eventually erupting in an emotive, soaring solo climax, while Fear and Sacrifice is a near 7-minute prog opus, full of sonic peaks and valleys and stylistic shifts.
Bring You Down begins with classic rock ballad dynamics before shifting into high gear halfway through and reaching peak earworm capacity.
The album concludes with Exasperator, which despite the title is a soothing, ethereal instrumental that offers pastoral vibes and a serene closeout to an otherwise bruising effort.
At only 8 tracks, Evil is a short and sweet blast of rock glory, which should satisfy longtime fans while also bringing new converts to the fold. Let’s face it, things have been tense and grim lately, and we need sweet release, and Evil provides it in spades.
